India's government on ­Tuesday announced plans for a ­sweeping liberalization of its foreign direct investment (FDI) regime as Prime Minister ­Narendra Modi seeks to ­counter accusations that his reform drive is stalling.

The government said it would undertake a raft of ­reforms to open up 15 ­sectors of the economy, easing the path for overseas investors in critical fields ­including defense, banking and ­construction.

It will also lift caps on investing in certain sectors such as broadcasting and air transport and will increase the use of "automatic" routes for gaining investment approval in others.