The letter of approval granted to a SEZ developer is valid for a period of three years and within this time frame effective steps are to be taken by the developer to implement the approved proposal. However, the Board of Approval (BoA) under Department of Commerce may, on an application by the developer and on recommendation of Jurisdictional Development Commissioner, extend the validity period of the letter of approval.  BoA has granted extension of validity period to 153 developers of SEZ across the country including 7 developers in Andhra Pradesh to complete their projects till now. Developers have sought extension of validity period of the letter of approval granted to them for the execution of their projects for various reasons including adverse business climate due to global recession, delay in approvals from statutory bodies and delay in environmental clearance.

The tax exemptions and other incentives allowed to SEZs are in built into the SEZs Act, 2005. Main fiscal concessions and duty benefits allowed to SEZ developers and units are as follows:

1. Exemption from Central Sales Tax, Exemption from Service Tax and Exemption from State sales tax. These have now subsumed into GST and supplies to SEZs are zero rated under IGST Act, 2017. 
2. Exemption from Income Tax for 15 years as per Income Tax Act.
3. Duty free import/domestic procurement of goods 
4. Exemption from State sales tax and other levies as extended by the respective State Governments.

The details of the SEZs which got extension in the State of Andhra Pradesh are as under: 

Sl. No.	Name of the Developer	Location	Type of SEZ
	M/s. MAS Fabric Park (India) Private Limited	Chintavaram village, Chillakru Mandal, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh	Textile and Apparel
	M/s. Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Ltd.	Gambheeram Village, Anandapuram Mandal, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh	IT/ITES
	M/s. Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd.	Devunipalavalasa Village, Ranasthalam Mandal, Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh	Pharmaceuticals
	M/s. Beneficent Knowledge Parks & Properties Limited	Parigi and Serikokum Villages, Parigi Mandal, C. Kodigepalli village, Madakasara Mandal, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh	Multi Services
	M/s. Kakinada SEZ Private Limited	Kakinada, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh.	Multi Product
	M/s. Indus Gene Expression Ltd.	Kodur and Settipalli villages, Chilamathur Mandal, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh	Biotech and related activities
	M/s. Wipro Ltd.	Resapuvanipalem Village, Old TB Hospital Area, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh	IT/ITES

 This information was given by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

SEZ approval validity extension allows developers to seek Board of Approval extensions for implementation delays under prescribed conditions. The letter of approval for an SEZ developer is valid for three years and may be extended by the Board of Approval on application and recommendation for causes such as adverse business conditions, delays in statutory approvals or environmental clearances; SEZs receive fiscal benefits including zero rated supplies under the IGST framework, income tax exemption, and duty free procurement.