1st LD Writethru: Indian parliament passes insurance bill
Xinhua, March 12, 2015 Adjust font size:
The Indian parliament Thursday passed a controversial bill aimed at opening up the country's insurance sector to foreign companies.
The Rajya Sabha, or the upper house of parliament, passed the insurance bill after a heated debate and a number of adjournments.
The bill, which was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha, or the lower house, seeks to raise the foreign direct investment cap in the insurance sector from the current 26 percent to 49 percent.
The insurance bill also replaces an ordinance passed by the Indian government to enhance the foreign direct investment cap.
The country's main opposition Congress party supported the government on the passage of this controversial bill.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee will now have to sign the bill into law as per the constitution. Endi