FDI soars 63 pc to USD 3.28 bn in February

Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India jumped about 63 per cent to USD 3.28 billion (about Rs 20,820 crore) in February, 2015.
In February last year, the country had received FDI of USD 2.01 billion.
During the April-February period of 2014-15, the foreign fund inflows have grown by 39 per cent, year-on-year, to USD 28.81 billion, according to the data of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
The inflows were at USD 20.76 billion during the same period a year ago.
Amongst the top 10 sectors, services received the maximum FDI of USD 2.88 billion in the 11-month period of 2014-15, followed by telecommunication (USD 2.85 billion), automobiles (USD 2.42 billion), computer software and hardware (USD 2.04 billion) and pharmaceuticals (USD 1.30 billion).

During the period, India received the maximum FDI from Mauritius (USD 8.44 billion), followed by Singapore (USD 6.42 billion), the Netherlands (USD 3.29 billion), Japan (USD 1.72 billion) and the US (USD 1.69 billion).

In 2013-14, FDI stood at USD 24.29 billion as against USD 22.42 billion a year earlier.
Healthy inflow of foreign investments into the country helped India's balance of payments (BoP) situation.
India is estimated to require around USD 1 trillion investment over five years to overhaul its infrastructure sector, including ports, airports and highways to boost growth.
Government has relaxed FDI norms in various sectors, including insurance, railways and medical devices, to boost FDI in the country.