In addition to Seven Central Government Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and 11 State/Private Sector SEZs set-up prior to the enactment of the SEZ Act, 2005, approval has been accorded to 524 proposals out of which 352 SEZs have been notified. Presently, a total of 196 SEZs are exporting.

As on 30th September, 2014, out of the total employment provided to 13,50,071 persons in SEZs as a whole, 12,15,367 persons is incremental employment generated after February, 2006 when the SEZ Act has come into force. This is apart from millions of man days of employment generated by the developers for infrastructure activities.

The total exports from SEZs as on 30th September, 2014 i.e. in the first two quarter of the current financial year 2014-15 has been to the tune of ₹ 2,34,821 crore approximately. The total investment in SEZs till 30th September, 2014 is ₹ 3,80,284 crore. The contribution of SEZs exports in the total exports of the country is 23.71%. Taxes including direct taxes, indirect taxes and State level taxes are collected as per the respective Acts and Rules.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

Special Economic Zones approvals and export contribution noted; employment and investment growth reported under SEZ Act. Approvals and notifications under the SEZ Act have enabled multiple SEZs to commence exports; employment growth since the Act's commencement is identified as the majority of SEZ employment, with additional developer generated construction employment. Key economic indicators reported include aggregate SEZ exports for the period, total cumulative investment in SEZs, and the share of SEZ exports in national exports, and taxes arising from SEZ activities are collected under the applicable tax statutes.