PFRDA Bill soon to be tabled in Parliament, FDI cap at 26%

20 Dec 2011 Evaluate

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) Bill, which was held up for years, is likely to be tabled in Parliament this week. As the government has reached out to the main Opposition BJP and secured its approval for some key provisions of the draft legislation. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee held a discussion with the opposition leaders on the PFRDA Bill as well as Companies Bill and accepted some of the suggestions made by them.

The government is understood to have agreed to the Opposition’s demand for inclusion of assured returns to retired employees in Pensions Bill. The Standing Committee on Finance, headed by Yashwant Sinha, had recommended for an assured return option to new subscribers. Further, the government also agreed for defining the quantum of FDI in PFRDA in the Act itself instead of bringing it through an Executive decision.

Earlier, the panel had sought a specified FDI limit in the Bill while the government was of the view that FDI limit in the pension should be at 26% at par with the insurance sector. The amended legislation will now fix the ceiling of 26% FDI in the bill itself, besides making provisions for guaranteed returns and easy withdrawal norms.

At present, pension funds of over 10 lakh employees in the country are managed by domestic players such as Life Insurance Corporation of India, State Bank of India, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Reliance Capital, but foreign companies have showed interest in the country’s pension market.  The PFRDA bill, if passed, will open country’s profitable pension sector to foreign players.

The PFRDA Bill will be moved in Lok Sabha for consideration and passing on December 21 while a new Companies' Bill will be re-drafted and introduced in Parliament.

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