Parliament Question: Special Economic Zones

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1542 ANSWERED ON 09/12/2025 SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES 1542. SHRI BASTIPATI NAGARAJU: SHRI B K PARTHASARATHI: Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री) be pleased to state: (a) the details regarding the exports, investment and employment generated by SEZs in the country during the last five years, year and location-wise; (b) the list of operational SEZ units currently, and those exited or closed in the last five years; (c) whether the Government has taken any measures to support SEZs in light of challenges posed by US tariff pressure; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) the details regarding the policy being considered such as “reverse job work that would allow SEZ units to serve the domestic market? ANSWER वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्यमंत्री (श्री णिणिन प्रसाद) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a): The details of Exports, Investment and Employment generated by the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the country during the last five years, year-wise and Zone-wise are at Annexure-I. (b): The Zone-wise number of operational units as on 01.12.2025 and number of closed units in the last five years are at Annexure-II. (c) & (d): The Government continues to work to mitigate the impact of the US tariff measures on Indian exports, including exports from SEZs, through a comprehensive multi-pronged strategy encompassing intensive engagement with the US Government for a mutually beneficial India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, immediate relief through trade relief measures of RBI, Credit Guarantee Scheme for Exporters, enhancement of domestic demand through next generation GST reforms, Export Promotion measures such as the new Export Promotion Mission which provide support and assistance to our exporters, pursuing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with new partner countries and better utilization of the existing FTAs.Details of some of the aforementioned measures are as follows: 1. Export Promotion Mission The Mission will provide a comprehensive, flexible, and digitally driven framework for export promotion, with a total outlay of Rs.25,060 crore for FY 2025– 26 to FY 2030–31. EPM marks a strategic shift from multiple fragmented schemes to a single, outcome-based, and adaptive mechanism that can respond swiftly to global trade challenges and evolving exporter needs. The Mission will operate through two integrated sub-schemes: (i) NIRYAT PROTSAHAN – focuses on improving access to affordable trade finance for MSMEs through a range of instruments such as interest subvention, export factoring, collateral guarantees, credit cards for e-commerce exporters, and credit enhancement support for diversification into new markets. (ii) NIRYAT DISHA – focuses on non-financial enablers that enhance market readiness and competitiveness, including export quality and compliance support, assistance for international branding, packaging, and participation in trade fairs, export warehousing and logistics, inland transport reimbursements, and trade intelligence and capacity-building initiatives. The Mission is designed to directly address structural challenges that constrain Indian exports, including: • limited and expensive trade finance access, • high cost of compliance with international export standards, • inadequate export branding and fragmented market access, and • logistical disadvantages for exporters in interior and low-export-intensity regions. Under EPM, priority support will be extended to sectors impacted by recent global tariff escalations, such as textiles, leather, gems & jewellery, engineering goods, and marine products. The interventions will help sustain export orders, protect jobs, and support diversification into new geographies. 2. Credit Guarantee Scheme for Exporters has also been approved to provide 100% credit guarantee coverage by National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) to Member Lending Institutions (MLIs) for extending additional collateral free credit facilities up to Rs.20,000 crore to eligible exporters, including MSMEs. The Scheme is expected to enhance the global competitiveness of Indian exporters and support diversification into new and emerging markets. Enabling collateral-free credit access will strengthen liquidity, ensure smooth business operations, and reinforce India’s progress towards achieving the USD 1 trillion export target. 3. Trade Relief Measures :-The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also initiated trade relief measures for eligible affected exporters including provision for debt repayment moratorium and extension of tenor for export credit.4. Leveraging Free Trade Agreements:- The Government aims for promotion of Export Diversification and has signed 15 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and 6 Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) with its trading partners. Government is working with all stakeholders to enable our exporters to better utilize the benefits of India’s FTAs with major markets such as Japan, Korea, UAE etc. and effectively utilize the opportunities that have been created with the recent concluded FTAs such as with the EFTA countries and the UK. The Government is also engaged in negotiations for early conclusion of mutually beneficial FTAs with the EU, Peru, Chile, New Zealand, Oman etc. The Government remains engaged with all stakeholders—including exporters, Export Promotion Councils (EPCs), industry associations, and state governments—to assess the evolving impact of the U.S. tariff measures. (e) With a view to ensure the effectiveness of SEZs amidst evolving global trade conditions, the Government undertakes various measures from time to time to remove operational challenges in SEZs in consultation with different stakeholders. Such measures including policy initiatives like permitting reverse job work and regulatory adjustments are continuous process and introduced in the administration of SEZs as and when needed.Annexure-I as mentioned in Part (a) in answer to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1542 for 9th December, 2025 Zone-wise details of Exports from SEZs during the last 5 years (Rs. in Crore) Sl. No. Name of the 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Zone 1 CSEZ, Cochin 151389 189284 240274 254726 277639 2 FSEZ, Falta 31725 48536 50658 64475 68371 3 KASEZ, Kandla 137229 239190 335836 310283 332892 MEPZ SEZ, 116844 136329 172580 177930 203304 4 Chennai 5 NSEZ, Noida 70740 80804 96649 113978 128266 SEEPZ SEZ, 138789 160052 186787 210756 224251 6 Mumbai VSEZ, 112808 136553 180794 223071 228948 7 Visakhapatnam Total 759524 990747 1263578 1355220 1463669 Zone-wise details of Investment in SEZs during the last 5 years (Rs. in Crore) Sl. Name of the 2020- 2021- 2022- 2023- 2024-25 No. Zone 21 22 23 24 1 CSEZ 121523 123102 124634 125179 126796 2 FSEZ 26385 27410 27410 41031 44026 3 KASEZ 208067 219565 223398 209204 265120 4 MEPZ SEZ 66157 64903 54908 77439 72041 5 NSEZ 47368 49949 54134 61430 62942 6 SEEPZ SEZ 72532 75571 79718 88520 90301 7 VSEZ 75467 89205 95983 104538 120964 Total 617499 649705 660184 707342 782192 Note: Calculated on cumulative basis. Zone-wise details of Employment in SEZs during the last 5 years (In No. of Persons) Sl. No. Name of the Zone 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 1 CSEZ 454184 481220 487716 513686 513821 2 FSEZ 81638 94245 87093 99783 104503 3 KASEZ 96689 105922 112899 126658 174545 4 MEPZ SEZ 479674 523807 591517 728493 607812 5 NSEZ 338337 385240 447129 471560 526539 6 SEEPZ SEZ 474690 560052 589971 635373 643898 7 VSEZ 432924 545694 579287 618551 606775 Total 2358136 2696180 2895612 3194104 3177893 Note: Calculated on cumulative basis.Annexure-II as mentioned in Part (b) in answer to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1542 for 9th December, 2025 Zone-wise number of operational units as on 01.12.2025 Name of the Zone Number of Units Cochin SEZ (CSEZ) 1227 Falta SEZ (FSEZ) 98 Kandla SEZ (KASEZ) 1201 Madras Export Processing Zone SEZ (MEPZ SEZ) 753 Noida SEZ (NSEZ) 751 Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone SEZ (SEEPZ SEZ) 704 Visakhapatnam SEZ (VSEZ) 547 Total 5281 Zone-wise and year-wise number of closed units during the last 5 years Financial CSEZ FSEZ KASEZ MEPZ NSEZ SEEPZ VSEZ Total Year 2020-21 13 2 16 7 10 23 25 96 2021-22 30 4 13 7 17 22 20 113 2022-23 11 4 16 12 4 13 17 77 2023-24 22 5 12 15 5 11 10 80 2024-25 20 2 12 19 2 12 33 100 Total 96 17 69 60 38 81 105 466 *****