Falling for the second straight month, India’s foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows declined nearly 19 per cent to USD 1.10 billion in December 2012 due to global economic uncertainties.

In December 2011, the country had attracted FDI worth USD 1.35 billion. For the April-December period of 2012-13, the inflows have declined by about 42 per cent to USD 16.94 billion, according to the data of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

According to experts, decline in inflows is largely due to uncertainties in the global economy. An official said liberalization of the FDI policy in various sectors would help in boosting the inflows in the coming months.

In November 2012, India attracted FDI worth USD 1.05 billion, which was a two-year low.

Foreign investments are important for India, which needs around USD 1 trillion in the next five years to overhaul its infrastructure sector such as ports, airports and highways to boost growth. Decline in foreign investments will put pressure on the country’s balance of payments and could also impact the value of rupee.