The government has again modified the external commercial borrowing (ECB) policy. It has broadly redefined the world infrastructure to include more number of sectors under ECB. Infrastructure would now include power, telecommunication, railways, road including bridges, sea port and airport, industrial parks, urban infrastructure (water supply, sanitation and sewage projects) and mining, exploration and refining.

These sectors can now avail benefits of the external commercial borrowing and borrow up to $500 million a year to spend in India for the maturity period of seven years. Non-infrastructure companies can rise up to $50 million as per the current ECB policy. The government said that infrastructure sector would require $500 billion in the next five years for development activities in the country and the current move would help infrastructure companies to arrange funds from abroad. However, analyst said that foreign borrowing would not easy for the companies due to global financial crisis.