Solution

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted non-banking finance companies operating as Infrastructure Debt Fund (IDF-NBFCs) to raise money through external commercial borrowings (ECBs).    These borrowings will be subject to a minimum tenor of five years, and IDF-NBFCs are prohibited from sourcing the ECB loans from the foreign branches of Indian banks, as stated by the RBI in communication to the companies.   The aim was to enable IDF-NBFCs to play a more substantial role in financing the infrastructure sector and to bring the relevant regulations into harmony.   The revised framework includes the withdrawal of the requirement for a sponsor for the IDFs, and it makes the tripartite agreement optional for Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects. Previously, IDF-NBFCs were mandated to enter into a tripartite agreement with both the dealer and the project authority for investments in PPP infrastructure projects that involved a project authority