The Special Economic Zones Act, 2005, was passed by Parliament in May, 2005. 2. After extensive consultations, the SEZ Act, 2005, supported by SEZ Rules, came into effect in, 2006, providing for drastic simplification of procedures and for single window clearance on matters relating to central as well as state governments.
The main objectives of the SEZ Act are:
- generation of additional economic activity
- promotion of exports of goods and services
- promotion of investment from domestic and foreign sources
- creation of employment opportunities
- development of infrastructure facilities
The SEZ Rules provide for different minimum land requirement for different class of SEZs. Every SEZ is divided into a processing area where alone the SEZ units would come up and the non-processing area where the supporting infrastructure is to be created. 2. The functioning of the SEZs is governed by a three tier administrative set up. The Board of Approval is the apex body and is headed by the Secretary, Department of Commerce.