Delhi-NCR overtakes Maharashtra as India's top FDI destination

COIMBATORE: The New Delhi region, which covers the national capital and parts of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Haryana, has pipped long-standing leader Maharashtra, in attracting FDI (foreign direct investment) equity inflows into the country.


New Delhi received FDI equity inflows to the tune of Rs 57,333 crore ($8.3 billion) in the first nine months of 2018-19 (FY19), data released by DIPP (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) showed. FDI equity inflows aggregated about $33.5 billion in first nine months of fiscal year 2018-19, a 7% decline compared to the same corresponding period in the previous fiscal year.

Though Tamil Nadu’s share in FDI inflows declined to 14% in the first nine months of FY2018-19 from 18% during the corresponding period in FY2017-18, it was much higher than the 3% share in the same period in FY2016-17, data showed. Maharashtra, which had the highest share in FDI in the first nine months of fiscal 2016-17 (49%), has witnessed a consistent drop in its share. Its share in total FDI flows fell to 32% during the same corresponding period in fiscal 2017-18 and further to 24% in the same period in FY2018-19.

In contrast, Delhi has seen a sustained increase in its share in total FDI equity inflows — from 14% in first nine months in FY2016-17 to 17% in FY2017-18 and further to 25% in the same period in FY2018-19. Maharashtra’s FDI inflows fell 30% year-on-year (y-o-y) to Rs 56,346 crore ($8.02 billion) in the first nine months of FY19 while that of Tamil Nadu contracted 26% y-o-y to Rs 14,166 crore ($2.05 billion), DIPP data showed.

FDI inflows into Karnataka also slumped 26% y-o-y to Rs 33,014 crore ($4.74 billion). Gujarat, however, saw higher inflows — from $787 million in the first nine months of FY2017-18 to about $1.7 billion in the same corresponding period in FY2018-19. Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and

Gujarat

received nearly 75% of the total FDI equity inflows into the country in the first nine months of FY2018-19.

States, which have been laggards in the past in attracting FDI, are also catching up fast. Andhra Pradesh,

West Bengal

, Kerala, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh collectively received nearly 15% of FDI equity inflows in the first nine months of FY2018-19.

They had only a 4% collective share in the comparable period the previous year. “Investments in emerging economies were lower partly due to uncertainty in the global markets,” said Rucha Ranadive, economist, CARE Ratings. “Foreign investments in emerging markets have mainly been adversely impacted by global headwinds such as the slowdown in the global economy, trade war between the US and China, concerns over Brexit, tightening of monetary policies by major global central banks, rupee depreciation and geo-political tensions among others.”

The top-5 sectors — services, computer hardware and software, chemicals, telecommunication and trading— accounted for nearly 65% of total FDI equity inflows. During the first nine months of FY2018-19, chemicals received highest FDI inflows of $6.07 billion, which was 18% of the total FDI equity inflows during this timeframe.

It was much higher than the 3% share of the sector in the comparable period last year and was five times more than the inflows amounting to $1.1 billion in the first nine months of FY2017-18. It was followed by services with nearly 17.7% share and by computer software and hardware (14% share). While inflows in the services sector grew by 28% y-o-y, it declined 8% in computer hardware and software.

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