India is the fastest growing economy in the world with buoyant investment climate. According to recent trends, India is only second to China in the league of favorite investment destinations. As the Indian economy is developing very fast, it has opened new avenues for people to start businesses. The country is extraordinarily rich in various resources with very low-cost labour. Doing business in India is a profitable option as the majority of the industries and sectors are almost untapped and hence the fear of facing stiff competition is less.
Entry Routes for Investment in India
Foreign Investment is easily permitted in almost all sectors. An Indian company may receive Foreign Direct Investment under two routes:
Automatic route: The foreign investor does not require any approval from the Reserve Bank of India or the Government of India for making investments. FDI up to 100 per cent is allowed under the automatic route in all sectors.
Government Route: The prior approval of the Government of India, Ministry of Finance, and Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) is required for making investment in India.
Sectors that an investor can look for long-term prospective are:
Banking: The Indian banking sector is one such industry, which has enormous upside growth potential. Investing in India can give investors above average return over long-term in the banking sector.
Healthcare: With the rise in disposable incomes and penetration of healthcare insurance, the demand for healthcare is growing day by day. The health and pharma sectors are quite promising in the current market conditions. Investors with a long-term prospect can invest in strong companies in the healthcare sector.
Education: The Indian Education industry is another industry which is poised at the wings of growth. Increasing awareness, rising disposable incomes and availability of loans for higher education creates a huge demand in the sector. So, it is one of the most important investment sectors in India.
Food processing: India is a country that largely depends on its agriculture. Thus, food processing industry in the country is among the largest in the world. The industry enjoys patronage from government, private players and cooperative sectors. Even the government ensures steady investment in this sector by introducing various changes in the “National Food Processing Policyâ€.
IT Sector: India is known as the IT hub. The BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and the KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing) industries are enjoying a fast paced growth rate. Thus, investing in the giant software industry in India is really a good decision.
Real estate: Real estate has emerged as one of the most appealing investment sectors for domestic as well as foreign investors. The real estate sector will continue to derive its growth in future because of changing consumer lifestyles. For example, nowadays people prefer to live in societies (apartments) with facilities like swimming pool, gym, security rather than just houses.
“Our economic and commercial relations are expanding. But there is still a lot of untapped potential that needs to be exploited, especially in sectors like agro-processing, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, medical equipment, seafood, automobile parts, tourism and hospitality, IT and IT-enabled services,” according to Anand Sharma, Commerce and Industry Minister.
About the Author
Harjeet is an Indian – born mass-market novelist, who covers the world internet related topics. He writes columns and articles for various websites and internet journals in the domain of Investments and Investing in India.
