Export Processing Zones in India

Export Processing Zones in India was set up by the government of India with the aim to initiate infrastructural development and tax holidays in various industrial sectors in the country. EPZ has incessantly accelerated the economic growth of the country by ensuring a flourishing export production.

The export processing zones in India came into existence soon after the political independence, when India proclaimed the first Industrial Policy Revolution in the year 1948. It was from then that the actual industrial growth begun in India, which resulted in the constitution of the export processing zones later. Export promotion has always been the chief concern of the government of India and it strictly follows the ISI policy while carrying out all its activities. The main reasons behind setting up the EPZ in India have been listed as under:

• Ensuring better infrastructural facilities in the industrial units that were set up in the export processing zones in India
• Introducing the privilege of tax holidays
• Establishing 100 percent export-oriented system in the EPZ in India
• EPZ in India are entirely devoid of all kinds of duties, levies, and taxes
• Implementing tax holidays in the importing of goods like capital goods, raw materials, and consumer goods as well.
• The units in export processing zones follow the automatic route set by the government of India which offers 100 percent foreign direct investment in the zone
• The rules set by the government of India are executed and implemented by the development commissioner of the respective export processing zones in India

Some of the significant features of the Export Processing Zones in India have been enumerated as under:

• The activities that are carried out in the EPZ in India are not liable to be licensed apart from the IT enabled sectors
• The units set up in the export processing zones in India can select their desired locations by following certain parameters as prescribed by the state governments
• The export processing zones in India religiously follows the active export-import policy
• The units in EPZ in India are totally custom bonded
• The proposals for the units in Export processing zones in India are entitled to follow the automatic route for approval as enforced by the state governments
• The proposals which do not fall under the procedure of automatic route system are governed or approved by the FIPB
• The activities in EPZ in India belonging to the Domestic Tariff Area sector are converted into Export oriented units to meet the parameters set for the export production by the government
• 100 percent FDI is granted to these zones

Some of the most eminent free-trade and Export Processing Zones in India and their contact details have been listed below:

Santa Cruz Electronics Export Processing Zone
Andheri (East)
Mumbai 400 096, India
http://www.seepz.com/
Tel: 91-22-836 7143
Fax: 91-22-832 1169

Falta Export Processing Zone
2nd MSO Building
4th Floor, Room No. 4, Nizam Palace
234/4, A J C Bose Road
Calcutta 700 020, India
http://www.fepz.com/
Tel: 91-22-247 7923
Fax: 91-33-247 2263

Cochin Export Processing Zone
http://www.cepz.com/
CPZ Administrative Building
Kakkanad, Cochin 682 030, India
Tel: 91-484-422 530, 422 551
Fax: 91-484-422 530

Noida Export Processing Zone
http://www.busdir.com/business/nepz
PHD House, 3rd Floor
Khel Gaon Marg
New Delhi 110 016, India
Tel: 91-11-685 5061
Fax: 91-11-685 5061

Kandla Free Trade Zone
Ghandhidham
Kutch 370 230, India
Tel: 91-2836-521 94
Fax: 91-2836-522 50

Madras Export Processing Zone
http://www.mepz.com/
Administrative Building
GST Road, Tambaram
Chennai 600 045, India
Tel: 91-44-236 8220
Fax: 91-44-236 8218

Visakhapatnam Export Processing Zone
http://ns.stph.net/vepz
Udyog Bhavan Complex,
Shripuram Junction
Visakhapatnam 530 003, India
Tel: 91-891-551 259, 554 577
Fax: 91-891-551 259