Welcome foreign investors! But be prepared to take India with all its difficulties, contradictions and challenges. And yes, do not expect quick changes.
This is what the finance ministry has advised in its revamped official Web page.
In its review of the economic situation for prospective investors, the site quite candidly informs foreign investors that before they take the plunge into a sector, they should satisfy themselves about not tripping on a political landmine.
The unusually frank analysis is as follows: "It is necessary to discover whether government policies exist relating to that particular area of business and if there are political concerns which should be taken into account."
Given the fate of several investment proposals, the advice appears to be sane.
The site acknowledges succinctly that despite the trend towards liberalisation and globalisation in the country, 'the process is slow.'
Though documents like the Economic Survey and even the latest Mid-Year Economic Review say reforms need to be expedited, the ministry's statement on the Net is far less ambiguous.
The site has been refurbished after Jaswant Singh became the finance minister. Instead of the dull yellow tone with very limited web links earlier, the site is interactive.
The overall tone of the section on investment in India suggests that one should not expect dramatic changes and be cautious about political uncertainty.
In fact, it starts by saying that India is believed to be a good investment destination despite political uncertainty, bureaucratic hassles, besides power and infrastructural inadequacies.
Accordingly, only those would succeed in India, who are able to correctly assess the country's potential without underestimating its complexity or overestimating its possibilities, the site adds.
And in a surprising bit of candour that little has changed at the implementation stage, in spite of the move towards globalisation, it says 'due consideration should be given to the factor of the inherent difficulties and uncertainties of functioning in the Indian system.'
The tone of the finance ministry is probably borne out of the realisation that 'even as today the climate in India has seen a sea change, smashing barriers, many companies still see it as a difficult market.'
To ensure that investors do not pack up, the site adds that India is frustrating and challenging at the same time.
However, the ministry naturally knows what to tell industry regarding the bureaucracy.
It says although the government is well aware of the need for reform in this area, industry still has to deal with an inefficient and sometimes still slow-moving bureaucracy.