Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB)
The FIPB is a specially empowered board chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Finance (MoF), set up specifically for expediting the approval process for foreign investment proposals.

There are no prescribed application forms for applying to FIPB, except in the case of purely technical collaborations. Proposals for FDI may be sent to the FIPB unit, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance or through any of India's diplomatic missions abroad. The Government has introduced a mailbox facility for accepting FDI proposals through the Internet and providing an acknowledgement number for these, with the condition that a hard copy should be received in original before the proposal is considered by the Government.

For more details, please visit the website at http://finmin.nic.in/the_ministry/dept_eco_affairs/fipb/fipb_index.htm

Foreign Investment Implementation Authority (FIIA)

Government of India has set up FIIA in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to facilitate quick translation of FDI approval and implementation. The organisation also provides a proactive one-stop after-care service to foreign investors by helping them obtain the necessary approvals, sort out operational problems and meet various government agencies to find solutions to problems and maximise opportunities through the partnership approach.

FIIA in accordance with its mandate assumes the following role:

Understands and addresses concerns of investors

Understands and addresses concerns of approving authorities

Initiates multi-agency consultation

Refers matters not resolved at the FIA level to higher levels on a quarterly basis, including cases of project slippage on account of implementation bottlenecks
website: www.siadipp.nic.in/sia/fiia.htm

Investment Commission (IC)
The three-member Investment Commission, set up in the Ministry of Finance in December 2004 by the Government of India, has Mr. Ratan Tata as Chairman and Mr. Deepak Parekh and Dr. Ashok Ganguly as members. The Investment Commission advises the Government of India on changes in policy and procedures that will enhance investment in India, recommends projects and investment proposals that should be fast tracked/mentored and promotes India as an investment destination.

Contact details: Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman - Investment Commission, Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street, Mumbai - 400 001 Email: [email protected]

website: www.investmentcommission.in

Secretariat for Industrial Assistance (SIA)
The SIA, functioning with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, acts as a gateway to industrial investment in India. It provides a single-window clearance for entrepreneurial assistance and facilitates the processing of investors' applications requiring government approval.

website: http://dipp.gov.in

India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF)
IBEF collects, collates and disseminates comprehensive information on India. www.ibef.org has been developed as a single-window resource for in-depth information and insight on India. IBEF also produces a wide range of well researched publications focused on India's economic and business advantages.

website: www.ibef.org

Investment facilitation mechanisms streamline approvals and provide one stop aftercare to expedite foreign investment implementation processes. Describes India's institutional framework for facilitating foreign investment: the FIPB expedites FDI approvals and accepts electronic proposals subject to hard copy submission; the FIIA provides one stop aftercare, resolves operational and inter agency bottlenecks, initiates consultations and escalates unresolved implementation slippage; the Investment Commission advises on policy and recommends projects for fast tracking; the SIA offers single window clearance for investor applications; and IBEF disseminates information to promote investment.