SEBI has received representations regarding operational issues in the implementation of aforesaid SEBI Circulars in case of foreign investors viz. Foreign Institutional Investors, Sub Accounts and Qualified Foreign Investors. In consultation with the Stock Exchanges, Depositories and Intermediaries, certain clarifications are issued, as given in Annexure A, with respect to these investors.

While mutual funds provide a safe and desirable mode of investment for retail investors, they have not grown much due to lack of infrastructure on one hand and poor return to investors vis-à-vis their expectations. Mutual funds in India suffer from inadequate and non- expert distribution network as required, lack of penetration of products, lacunas in regulation of distribution network etc, besides investor protection issues.

In a major setback to the Sahara Group, the Supreme Court today directed two of its companies to refund around Rs 24,000 crore to their investors within three months with 15 per cent interest per annum. In stinging observations against the companies for violating rules and regulations in raising funds from common investors, a bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar said that such economic offences must be dealt with iron hand.

SEBI has extended its toll free helpline service (1800 22 7575 / 1800 266 7575) to Saturday and Sunday from the existing Monday to Friday. The service on Saturday and Sunday would be available initially to investors from all over India in English, Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

with a view to facilitate listed entities to comply with the minimum public shareholding requirements within the time specified in Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules, 1957 (SCRR, 1957), the following additional methods shall be available:-

It is decided to allow partial fungibility of IDRs (i.e. redemption/conversion of IDRs into underlying equity shares) in a financial year to the extent of 25 % of the IDRs originally issued. Suitable instructions for modifying the existing legal framework governing IDRs, in order to implement the decision to allow redemption of IDRs into underlying equity shares and re-conversion of equity shares of a foreign issuer (which has already listed their IDRs) into IDRs, will be issued separately.

With a view to achieve wider financial inclusion, encourage holding of demat accounts and to reduce the cost of maintaining securities in demat accounts for retail individual investors, it has been decided that all depository participants (DPs) shall make available a Basic Services Demat Account (BSDA) with limited services and reduced costs.

Considering the present role of sub-broker where he is not permitted to deal with funds and securities of the investors, in consultation with the major stock exchanges and stock brokers’ associations, it has been decided to rationalize the procedure for surrender of sub-broker registration, as follows

Companies based in Sikkim and the Andaman and Nicobar islands can now file offer documents for public issues of up to 500 crore rupees with SEBI’s Eastern Regional office in Kolkata, the market regulator said on Wednesday. This comes into effect for all draft offer documents for issues which are filed with SEBI on or after 27 August 2012. For offer sizes higher than 500 crore rupees, the documents need to be filed at SEBI’s main office in Mumbai.

New investment in equity shares of companies which comes through primary market is almost nil for last few two years or so. As such while the investors are deprived from investing in primary market, corporate also loose the opportunity to tap the market through public offerings.