Truly Special: 230 Special Economic Zones In India Create Over 20 Lakh Jobs, Rs 8 Lakh Crore In Exports

Data released Ministry of Commerce data shows that 62 per cent of approved Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are operational in the country and have created about 20 lakh jobs, The Hindu Business Line has reported.

According to the report, Ministry data shows that 230 of the total approved 373 SEZs are operational in India.

Regions where all approved SEZs are operational are Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Punjab and Chandigarh. Among States which have more than 50 approved SEZs, Tamil Nadu has 75 per cent (39 of 52) of its SEZs functioning. Telangana, which has highest number of notified SEZs, has only 29 of the total 57 operational.

Karnataka (31 operational out of 51 SEZs) and Maharashtra (30 operational out of 51 SEZs) are states that have a significant number of approved economic zones.

West Bengal, Kerala, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are some of the states where more than 70 per cent SEZs are functioning. However, none of the approved SEZs are functioning in Nagaland, Jharkhand and Manipur.

As per the report, 71 per cent SEZs in Haryana and 60 per cent in Rajasthan are defunct.

Employment generation through all SEZs of India was 15,91,381 in 2015 -16. Calculated on a cumulative basis, employment through SEZs stands at 19,96,610 in 2018-2019. Manufacturing sector exports from SEZs during the last four years is over Rs 8 lakh crore, according to the Commerce Ministry.