BHUBANESWAR: The Tata SEZ at Gopalpur has utilised only 166.7 hectare of its notified 305.92-hectare area, with just two operational units.
According to the information furnished in the Parliament, two SEZs are currently operational in Ganjam district. The Tata SEZ at Gopalpur has utilised around 54 per cent of its notified area, while the Saraf Agencies Private Limited-operated SEZ at Chhatrapur has utilised 29.95 hectare of its 105.20-hectare notified area and has one operational unit.
This was informed by Commerce and Industry Minister of State Jitin Prasada in a response to a question from BJP Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy.
The Union minister also informed that there is no proposal or feasibility study under consideration for setting up an Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) Park or a common facility centre for processing rare-earth permanent magnets at the industrial zone.
SEZs established under the SEZ Act, 2005 and SEZ Rules, 2006 are primarily driven by manufacturing, services or free-trade warehousing, with proposals considered by the Board of Approval based on recommendations from the concerned state government, he said.
Feasibility assessments, wherever required, are undertaken by the entrepreneur or the state government before a proposal is submitted to the Department of Commerce.
The minister also highlighted fiscal and non-fiscal incentives available to SEZ developers and units to attract investment and facilitate exports. Goods imported into an SEZ or services provided to an SEZ unit for authorised operations are exempt from customs duty, while such imports are also exempt from IGST.
SEZs also offer trade facilitation measures, including single-window clearance for central and state approvals and dedicated customs facilities.
Currently, Odisha is seeking to strengthen its presence in advanced manufacturing, electronics and critical mineral value chains.
