India Expedites FDI from Bordering Nations

India has announced an updated standard operating procedure for processing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals from countries sharing land borders, including China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Afghanistan. The government has identified 40 sub-sectors, such as rare earth magnets and printed circuit boards, for expedited clearance within 60 days. These sub-sectors fall under six broad categories: capital goods manufacturing, electronic capital goods and electronic component manufacturing, polysilicon (and ingot-) wafers, advanced battery components, rare earth permanent magnets, and rare earth processing. The new guidelines also mandate detailed reporting requirements for investors, including shareholding patterns, beneficial owners, and control rights, which will be accessible by the State Bank of India (RBI) and submitted to the India — Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). A key condition is that the majority shareholding and control of the investee entity must always remain with resident Indian citizens or Indian-owned entities.