Para 5 - Investment of Equity Linked Saving Funds - Equity Linked Savings Scheme, 2005

Investment of Equity Linked Saving Funds 5. (a) The funds collected under a plan shall be invested in equities, cumulative convertible preference shares and fully convertible debentures and bonds of companies. Investment may also be made in partly convertible issues of debentures and bonds including those issued on rights basis subject to the condition that, as far as possible, the non-convertible portion of the debentures so acquired or subscribed, shall be disinvested within a period of twelve months. (b) It shall be ensured that funds of a plan shall remain invested to the extent of at least eighty per cent in securities specified in clause (a). The Unit Trust and Mutual Fund shall strive to invest their funds in the manner stated above within a period of six months from the date of closure of the plan in every year. In exceptional circumstances, this requirement may be dispensed with by the Unit Trust or the Fund, in order that the interests of the assessee are protected. (c) Pending investment of funds of a plan in the required manner, the Unit Trust and Mutual Fund may invest the funds in short-term money market instruments or other liquid instruments or both. After three years of the date of allotment of the units, the Unit Trust or Mutual Fund may hold up to twenty per cent of net assets of the plan in short-term money market instruments and other liquid instruments to enable them to redeem investment of those unit holders who would seek to tender the units for repurchase.