Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) –
Reporting under FDI Scheme on the e-Biz platform
Attention of Authorised Dealers Category-I (AD Category – I) banks is invited to the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security by a Person Resident outside India) Regulations 2000, notified by the Reserve Bank vide Notification No.FEMA 20/2000-RB, dated 3rd May 2000, as amended from time to time. Chaussure Adidas Yeezy 750 Boost Attention of AD Category – I banks is also invited to A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.77 dated February 12, 2015, advising the enabling of reporting of Advanced Remittance Form and FCGPR Form under the FDI scheme on the e-Biz platform of the Government of India.
2. With reference to paragraph 5 of the said A.P. (DIR Series) circular, it is advised that financial aspects for using the Virtual Private Network (VPN) accounts obtained from National Informatics Centre (NIC) for accessing the e-Biz portal have now been finalised in consultation with Government of India, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and NIC. The details are as follows:
i. T Shirt Philipp Plein Homme The VPN account will be in the name of the individual users and will be coterminous with the lifetime of the Digital Signing (Class 2) certificates (which is for a maximum period of two years) issued by Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), Hyderabad;
ii. AD Category-I banks will be required to credit (through NEFT/RTGS) the payment in advance for the VPN accounts (@ Rs.9,654/- per account for a block of two years) directly to National Informatics Centre Services Inc’s (NICSI) bank account as under:
Name of Bank : ICICI Bank
Branch : ICICI Bank CMS
Account No : NICSIPPCDL141571
IFSC Code : ICIC0000104
iii. After making the payment, the AD bank may fill up the details in the ‘Payment Reference Form’ and forward the same to the email. A copy of the form is annexed to this circular.
iv. T Shirt Versace AD banks may kindly note to maintain appropriate records pertaining to the number of connections, amounts remitted to NICSI, etc. Reconciliation issues, if any, may be resolved by writing to NICSI at the above mentioned email address.
3. Adidas Yeezy Boost 330 Pas Cher The directions contained in this circular have been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 (42 of 1999).
External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) denominated in Indian Rupees (INR) – Mobilisation of INR
Attention of Authorized Dealers Category – I (AD Cat – I) banks is invited to the Foreign Exchange Management (Foreign Exchange Derivative Contracts) Regulations, 2000 dated May 3, 2000 [Notification No. FEMA 25/RB-2000 dated May 3, 2000], as amended from time to time, A.P. Bragas Calvin Klein Baratas (DIR Series) Circular No.63 dated December 29, 2011 and A.P. Adidas Ultra Boost Femme Pas Cher (DIR Series) Circular No. 25 dated September 3, 2014.
2. In terms of A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 25 dated September 3, 2014, recognised non-resident ECB lenders may extend loans in Indian Rupees subject to, inter alia, the lender mobilising Indian Rupees through a swap undertaken with an AD Cat-I bank in India. To facilitate ECB lending denominated in INR by overseas lenders, it has now been decided that such lenders may enter into swap transactions with their overseas bank which shall, in turn, enter into a back-to-back swap transaction with any AD Cat-I bank in India as per the procedure given below:
(i) The recognised non-resident lender approaches his overseas bank with appropriate documentation as evidence of an underlying ECB denominated in INR with a request for a swap rate for mobilising INR for onward lending to the Indian borrower.
(ii) The overseas bank, in turn, approaches an AD Cat-I bank for a swap rate along with documentation furnished by the customer that will enable the AD bank in India to satisfy itself that there is an underlying ECB in INR (scanned copies would be acceptable).
(iii) A KYC certification on the end client shall also be taken by the AD bank in India as a one-time document from the overseas bank.
(iv) Based on the documents received from the overseas bank, the AD bank in India should satisfy itself about the existence of the underlying ECB in INR and offer an indicative swap rate to the overseas bank which, in turn, will offer the same to the non-resident lender on a back-to-back basis.
(v) The continuation of the swap shall be subject to the existence of the underlying ECB at all times.
(vi) On the due date, settlement may be done through the Vostro account of the overseas bank maintained with its counterparty bank in India.
(vii) All other Operational Guidelines, Terms and Conditions as contained in the annex to A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No.63 dated December 29, 2011 governing hedging of ECBs denominated in INR shall apply, mutatis mutandis.
(viii) The concerned AD Cat-I bank shall keep on record all related documentation for verification by Reserve Bank.
3. AD Category – I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their constituents and customers.
4. Tangas Calvin Klein Baratos The directions contained in this circular have been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 (42 of 1999) and are without prejudice to permissions/approvals, if any, required under any other law.
Cabinet approves Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 to be placed in Parliament
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal to introduce the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in the Parliament.
The amendments are focused on clarifying jurisdiction related issues for filing cases of offence committed under Section 138 the Negotiable Instruments Act,1881 (NI Act).
The main amendment included in this is the stipulation that the offence of rejection or return of cheque u/s 138 of NI Act will be enquired into and tried only by a Court within whose local jurisdiction the bank branch of the payee, where the payee presents the cheque for payment is situated.
Section 138 of the NI Act deals with the offence pertaining to dishonour of cheque for insufficiency of funds in the drawer’s account on which the cheque is drawn for the discharge of any legally enforceable debt or other liability.
Section 138 provides for penalties in case of dishonour of cheques due to insufficiency of funds in the account of the drawer of the cheque. The object of the NI Act is to encourage the usage of the cheque and enhancing the credibility of the instrument so that normal business transactions and settlement of liabilities could be ensured.
The clarification of jurisdictional issues may be desirable from the equity point of view as this would be in the interests of the complainant and would also ensure a fair trial.
The clarity on jurisdictional issue for trying cases of cheque bouncing would increase the credibility of the cheque as a financial instrument.
This would help trade and commerce in general and allow lending institutions, including banks, to continue to extend financing to the economy, without the apprehension of the loan default on account of bouncing of a cheque.
PRIORITY SECTOR LENDING-TARGETS AND CLASSIFICATION
An Internal Working Group (IWG) was set up in July 2014 to revisit the existing priority sector lending guidelines. The report of the IWG was placed in the public domain inviting comments. The recommendations of the IWG were examined in the light of the comments / suggestions received from Government of India, banks, and other stakeholders and revised guidelines are being issued in supersession of guidelines mentioned in the Master Circular RPCD.CO.Plan.BC10/04.09.01/2014-15 dated July 1, 2014 on Priority Sector Lending – Targets and Classification.
The salient features of the guidelines are as under:-
(i) Categories of the priority sector: Medium Enterprises, Social Infrastructure and Renewable Energy will form part of priority sector, in addition to the existing categories.
(ii) Agriculture: The distinction between direct and indirect agriculture is dispensed with.
(iii) Small and Marginal Farmers: A target of 8 percent of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher, has been prescribed for Small and Marginal Farmers within agriculture, to be achieved in a phased manner i.e., 7 percent by March 2016 and 8 percent by March 2017.
(iv) Micro Enterprises: A target of 7.5 percent of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher, has been prescribed for Micro Enterprises, to be achieved in a phased manner i.e. 7 percent by March 2016 and 7.5 percent by March 2017.
(v) There is no change in the target of 10 percent of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher, for Weaker Sections.
(vi) Target for Foreign Banks: Foreign Banks with 20 branches and above already have priority sector targets and sub-targets for Agriculture and Weaker Sections, which are to be achieved by March 31, 2018 as per the action plans submitted by them and approved by RBI. The sub-targets for Small and Marginal Farmers and Micro Enterprises would be made applicable post 2018 after a review in 2017. Foreign banks with less than 20 branches will move to Total Priority Sector Target of 40 percent of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher, on par with other banks by 2019-20, and the sub-targets for these banks, if to be made applicable post 2020, would be decided in due course.
(vii) Bank loans to food and agro processing units will form part of Agriculture.
(viii) Export credit: Export credit upto 32 percent of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher, will be eligible as part of priority sector for foreign banks with less than 20 branches. For other banks, the incremental export credit over corresponding date of the preceding year will be reckoned upto 2 percent of ANBC or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure, whichever is higher.
(ix) The loan limits for housing loans and MFI loans qualifying under priority sector have been revised.
(x) The priority sector non-achievement will be assessed on quarterly average basis at the end of the respective year from 2016-17 onwards, instead of annual basis as at present.
The revised guidelines are operational with effect from the date of this circular. The priority sector loans sanctioned under the guidelines issued prior to this date will continue to be classified under priority sector till repayment/maturity/renewal.
Foreign Currency (Non-Resident) Account (Banks) (FCNR (B)) Scheme
Attention of Authorised Dealer Category-I (AD Category-I) banks is invited to Schedule 2 of the Foreign Exchange Management (Deposit) Regulations, 2000, notified vide Notification No. FEMA 5/2000-RB dated May 3, 2000, as amended from time to time, in terms of which instructions regarding opening and maintenance of FCNR (B) deposit have been stipulated.
2. It has come to notice that Authorised Dealer banks are insisting on different requirements at the time of closure of FCNR (B) deposits and subsequent remittance of funds as under:
- Submission of A2 form
- Insisting on physical presence of the account holder
- Asking for purpose of remittance
3. In this connection it is clarified that A2 form is to be filed at the time of purchase of foreign exchange using rupee funds and hence is not applicable while remitting FCNR (B) funds. Further, banks, with the help of technology, will have to devise better alternatives/ methods for ensuring bonafides of the transaction rather than insisting on physical presence of the account holder, in order to ensure hassle free remittance of funds to the account holder.
4. T Shirt Philipp Plein AD Category- I banks may bring the contents of the circular to the notice of their constituents concerned.
5.