By IANS
New Delhi : The government Thursday approved 27 special economic zones (SEZ), including those by IT majors Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Cognizant Technologies.
The go-ahead was given at a meeting of the commerce ministry’s Board of Approvals (BOA) on SEZs, presided over by Commerce Secretary G.K. Pillai, which gave formal approval to 20 proposals and in-principle approval to seven among the 31 applications taken up.
TCS and Cognizant both will set up their SEZs in Andhra Pradesh, in 30.35 hectares and 16.19 hectares respectively.
Besides these two, a multi-services SEZ by Gujarat Finance City Development Company Ltd, an agro and food processing SEZ by Nagaland Industrial Development Corporation Ltd and two IT SEZs by Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd received formal approvals.
Some of the prominent applications given in-principle approval are that of Gujarat Hydrocarbon and Energy SEZ Ltd for a 220-hectare SEZ in Gujarat and two of Gitanjali Gems Ltd in Maharashtra.
The government has so far granted approvals for setting up 366 SEZs, of which 142 have been notified, attracting Rs.467.05 billion in investments and providing jobs to over 55,000 people, Pillai said.
The BoA had earlier approved two SEZs by Infosys Technologies of 119.87 hectares and 60.93 hectares in Andhra Pradesh’s Rangareddy district.