The impact of special economic zones in India : a caste study of Polepally SEZ
Rawat, Vidya Bhushan et al.
Special Economic Zones (SEZs) can be compared to their predecessors, Free Trade Zones and Export Processing Zones, in that they are aimed at stimulating foreign direct investment (FDI) and rapid, export-led, industrial growth. The essential characteristic of such schemes is that they allow the by-passing of particular social legislation or tax provisions which are perceived to be an impediment to progress or the competitiveness of an export-oriented activity. A brainchild of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI), the SEZ Act that was passed in 2005 goes much further than previous policies as it seeks to establish a large number of private industrial townships, each covering hundreds or thousands of hectares of land. According to the MOCI, as of February 2010, formal approval has been accorded by states to 571 proposals out of which 348 SEZs have been notified. A total of 105 SEZs are already exporting. The 571 approved proposals are for SEZs sponsored by State governments and are in addition to seven Central Government SEZs and 12 State/private sector SEZs that were set up prior to the enactment of SEZ Act, 2005 (MOCI, 2010). These 571 approved SEZs represent a total of 67680 hectares.
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