Special Economic Zones in India are bereft of geographical advantages as they are not well located as in China, the World Bank has said in its study.

'A cursory glance at India's SEZs suggests they were not nearly as well located,' the bank said, while comparing them with Chinese SEZs in its World Development Report 2009. It added that the 'poor location is the main obstacle to success.' In 2007, SEZs were approved in the coastal states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, as well as in the interior states of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, the report highlighted. 'Even in the coastal states, many SEZs are not along the coast,' it noted.