INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Overseas investors of Indian origin are allowed to buy up to 5 percent in any security under current regulation, India's
economic affairs secretary Subhash Chandra Garg said on Tuesday, in a bid to calm markets after recent regulatory changes.
Indian markets
fell for the second straight day as fresh concerns emerged over a April circular issued by the Securities and E xchange Board of India that
said foreign investment rules for companies of Indian origin had been tightened.
The guidelines state that a company majority owned by
non-resident Indians (NRIs) or persons of Indian origin (PIOs) will not be allowed to invest as a foreign portfolio investor in the country,
and SEBI has directed that such funds should either be closed or the ownership structure changed by the end of December.
Garg reiterated
that companies majority-owned by non-residents Indians won't be allowed to invest as well as manage foreign funds, indicating that the
policymakers are unlikely to relax the SEBI guidelines.
