FDI Comes In Trickles

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[India received foreign direct investment of $21.20 billion during April-December period, leaving a daunting task of mopping up $8.2 billion in the last quarter to touch $30 billion, a truncated target set by the government in the face global credit crunch. The country received FDI inflows of $1.36 billion in December, an official said. After maintaining robust inflows till September -- with a monthly range of $2.5-3.0 billion - FDI in October slipped to $1.4 billion and further to $1.08 in November. Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath on Thursday said the country would receive $30 billion this year. &quot;We will be able to go to $30 billion,&quot; Nath had said. On the back of attracting $24.5 billion last year, the government had initially aimed at $35 billion FDI in 2008-09. While the foreign direct investment, other than the stock route, remained lacklusture in the comparable period last year as well, $10 billion came in the last two months of the fiscal 2007-08. However, no such thing seems likely this year because of the difficult global economic environment. (PTI)