Exports from special economic zones (SEZs) are likely to touch Rs 2 lakh crore in 2009-10, a 100 per cent jump from the year-ago period, with Reliance Industries' Jamnagar special economic zone expected to contribute the most to the kitty.
DLF has sought the denotification of four of its IT/ITeS SEZs that were to come up in Haryana, Gujarat, Orissa and Kolkata, due to slowdown in the economy and liquidity crunch in the overall industry. The decision on the denotification would be taken on the June 2 meeting of the Board of Approval in the commerce ministry.
In what may be a sign of the changing political environment ahead of general elections, the Centre has turned down the Maharashtra government's proposal to provide labour law flexibility in special economic zones.
Foxconn, a leading Taiwan based manufacturer of connectors for use in personal computers and printed circuit boards for mobile phones, will set up $110 million plant in Chennai to manufacture mobile handset and other components..
SEZs will help alleviate the infrastructure deficit in the country.
SEZs will help alleviate the infrastructure deficit in the country.
The revamped Special Economic Zone (SEZ) law is unlikely to see the light of the day before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, two people aware of the matter said. The commerce department had sought the Union Cabinet's nod to bring amendments to the existing SEZ Act, 2005 late last year. The plan, thereafter, was to introduce the Bill in the winter session of Parliament. Cabinet's approval remains pending.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched real estate developer DLF Universal's Special Economic Zone project here, as part of initiatives to revive the state's industrial sector.
Ron Malka, former envoy of Israel to India, has said that he has assumed charge as the executive chairman of the Haifa Port Company (HPC) owned by a consortium led by the ports-to-energy conglomerate Adani Group. A consortium of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) and Israel's Gadot Group won the tender in July last year to privatise the strategic Port of Haifa in Israel for $1.18 billion. "I'm honoured and privileged to take office today as executive chairman of the Haifa Port Company, on behalf of @AdaniOnline.
"It has been two years since the Special Economic Zone Act and rules came into effect. While exports have grown almost 100 per cent to touch Rs 40,000 crore (Rs 400 billion) in the first nine months of the current fiscal, total incremental employment generated by the operational SEZs after February 2006 is 146,128," according to the Export Promotion Council for EOUs and SEZ.
Even the best of government policies rarely satisfy the corporate sector. So, it is perhaps surprising that the year 2006 saw a scheme over which all business houses -- big and small alike -- were falling head over heels.
Wipro is close to setting up an IT park in Nagpur and is believed to have acquired 117 acres of land at the new special economic zone in the city.
The government on Wednesday said provisions of Press Note 2 (2005 series), which allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment in townships
Asia's first Special Economic Zone, the Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ), will go completely wi-fi in the next few months.
The finance ministry has tightened the noose around developers of special economic zones by disallowing tax concessions to their contractors involved in the construction work.
From the Sensex pack, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zones, Mahindra & Mahindra, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Larsen & Toubro, NTPC, State Bank of India, UltraTech Cement and Kotak Mahindra Bank were the major gainers. In contrast, Tata Steel, Titan, Bajaj Finserv, JSW Steel, Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Tata Motors and Tata Consultancy Services were among the laggards.
Ratings agency Moody's said on Tuesday that it has cut the outlook on the ratings of seven Adani entities to 'negative' from 'stable', citing the US indictment of chairman Gautam Adani and others on alleged bribery charges, while Fitch Ratings put some bonds of the conglomerate on negative watch. Moody's affirmed the ratings on all seven entities -- Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, two limited restricted groups of Adani Green Energy Ltd, Adani Transmission Step-One Ltd, Adani Transportation Restricted group 1 (AESL RG1), Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd and Adani International Container Terminal Pvt Ltd.
A policy was introduced on 1 January 2000 to set up special economic zones in India to provide an internationally competitive environment for exports.
Software giant Wipro Ltd is planning to invest in another software development complex in West Bengal if it gets the special economic zone status from the central government.
Senior government officials says the matter was discussed at a meeting of the ministerial group on special economic zones (SEZ) last week.
The Union Cabinet will soon consider a comprehensive Special Economic Zones Bill, which would lay down guidelines for their development, operation and management.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his Budget speech said the government will soon bring out a Special Economic Zone Bill and a new trade policy. Take the Rediff Business Quiz and find out how much you know about the special economic zones in India.
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone will prepay $195 million of debt due in 2024 as the conglomerate helmed by Gautam Adani looks to boost investors' confidence post being targeted by a US short-seller. In a stock exchange filing, APSEZ said it will buy back $195 million of bonds due in 2024 using its cash reserves. Out of the $520 million principal outstanding, $325 million will be left after the buyback, it said.
The board would take a decision on these applications on February 20.
Another priority in the first 100 days could be the launch of an e-platform -- Trade Connect -- to help exporters connect with stakeholders of international trade.
The central government's Great Nicobar development project, proposed around an unprecedented transhipment port, will be executed to keep environmental impact minimal, and is essential as it is of national importance, the government has said amid calls to abort the controversial project due to ecological concerns, the Centre said in an official statement.
Gautam Adani had in the late 1970s applied to join a Mumbai college for education, but the college rejected his application. He did not pursue education but turned to business and went on to build a $220 billion empire. About four-and-a-half decades later, he gets called to the same college to deliver a lecture to students on Teachers Day. Adani had moved to Mumbai at the age of 16 and started working as a diamond sorter.
Sources close to the development said RIL, which was planning two adjacent economic zones in the coastal district of Raigarh in Maharashtra, is looking to set up three special purpose vehicles (SPVs) to develop the various components of the project.
S&P Dow Jones has said it will remove Adani Group's flagship firm Adani Enterprises from sustainability indices with effect from February 7 following a media and stakeholder analysis triggered by allegations of accounting fraud. The move comes amid leading stock exchanges BSE and NSE putting three Adani Group companies -- Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone and Ambuja Cements -- under their short-term additional surveillance measure (ASM) framework. "Adani Enterprises will be removed from the Dow Jones sustainability indices following a media and stakeholder analysis triggered by allegations of accounting fraud," S&P Dow Jones Indices said in a statement.
US-based boutique investment company GQG Partners has shot into limelight with its Rs 15,446-crore Adani wager.