New Delhi, Sept. 29 -- The Centre is planning to make it easier for foreign investors to bring in money by reducing red tape in foreign direct investments (FDI), two people involved in the process said. Later this week, government officials will meet industry executives to discuss how rules can be simplified and made more investor-friendly.

At present, foreign investors need to fill out several forms and use different portals for approvals and reporting. These include Form FC-GPR for issuing shares to non-residents, Form FC-TRS (Foreign Currency-Transfer of Shares) for share transfers, the annual foreign liabilities and assets (FLA) return to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Form ESOP (employee stock option plans) for stock options grant...