Commerce Ministry to Hold Stakeholder Meeting on SEZ Reforms and Export Schemes
The commerce ministry has scheduled a stakeholder meeting on June 30 to discuss issues related to Special Economic Zones (SEZs), focusing on harmonizing export promotion schemes and implementing reforms. Key topics include payment mechanisms for domestic tariff area services, job work without export linkage, import substitution, and free trade warehousing zone reforms. A 17-member committee is preparing a concept paper for a comprehensive 'SEZ 2.0' policy, reflecting changes in trade policy since the original 2005 SEZ law. Currently, 276 SEZs with 6,695 units operate in India, with exports declining from $172.07 billion to $133.45 billion between 2024-25 and 2025-26.