FDI Inflow Registers $15.7bn In 2006-07

New Delhi: The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow has reported a five-fold increase to reach $15.7 billion in 2006-07 compared with $2.2 billion in 2003-04. A target of $30 billion has been set for 2007-08. FDI has increased from just 0.77 per cent of GDP in 2003-04 to 2.31 percent in 2006-07. Similarly, as a percentage of total investment, this has increased from 2.55 per cent in 2003-04 to 6.42 per cent in 2006-07, according to the year-end review of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). Due to progressive delicensing, only a handful of sectors stay within the ambit of compulsory licensing on account of safety, security and environmental concerns. India has also improved its positioning in the World Bank''s ranking of Doing Business 2008 to 120 rank, from 138 position, in 2006. The grant of patents increased four-fold to 1,911 in the financial year 2005 to 7,539 in the financial year 2007.