From Shrawan to Chaitra of the current fiscal year, 615 industries have received foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments worth Rs 41.79 billion 85 million. While in the same period of the last fiscal year, investment commitments worth Rs 47.97 billion 64 million were received. Compared to the previous fiscal year, FDI has decreased by 12.85 percent in the same period of the current fiscal year. 

According to the Department of Industries, there is a commitment to provide employment to 22,316 people in a total of 615 industries.  Investment worth Rs 4.9 billion has been approved in 426 industries through the department's automated system. The department has data that investment worth Rs 37.69 billion has been approved in 189 industries through the approval route.

The government has removed the limit on FDI approved through the automatic route by publishing a notification in the Gazette on 4 Falgun. Earlier, FDI was approved only with a total capital of Rs 500 million through the automatic route. However, it does not seem to be attracting investors. 

Since more investment is approved in the information and technology sector through the automatic route, the amount is less and the number of industries is more, said Suresh Dahal, Information Officer of the department. ‘From Shrawan to Chaitra, an investment of Rs 4 billion has been approved in 426 industries through the automatic route. However, it seems that Rs 37.69 billion has been approved in 189 industries through the informal route,’ he said, ‘it is gradually increasing.’

Investment of less than Rs 20 million in information technology through the informal route is not approved. That is why more investment related to the information technology industry is approved through the automatic route.’ According to the department, from Shrawan to Chaitra, investment commitments have been made in 599 small, 8 medium and 8 large industries. Rs 2.54 billion in 38 manufacturing industries, Rs 234.2 million in 2 energy-related industries, Rs 22 million in 16 agricultural industries 

Investment commitments of Rs 1.8 billion, 11.46 billion in 164 tourism-oriented industries, Rs 11.5 billion in 2 mineral-oriented industries, Rs 3.89 billion in 47 service-oriented industries, and Rs 1.45 billion in 346 information and technology-oriented industries have been received.

The highest investment commitment of Rs 24.10 billion was received in Shrawan of the current fiscal year. The lowest investment commitment of Rs 599.5 million was received in Poush. Overall, investment commitments of Rs 41.75 billion have been received from Shrawan to Chaitra. However, Nepal Rastra Bank data shows that only Rs 10.84 billion has been received from Shrawan to Falgun.

Even though foreign investment commitments have increased, the amount received is low, according to Nepal Rastra Bank data. Stakeholders say that there is no policy framework that all foreign investment commitments should or should be received during the same period. Nepal Rastra Bank data shows that Rs 10.84 billion has been received in direct foreign investment (equity) in the eight months of the current fiscal year. According to the bank, there was an inflow of Rs 8.47 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.