In order to
give legal stability to the policies relating to Special Economic
Zones (SEZs), government have initiated steps for a central
legislation, Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Commerce & Industry,
said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
He further said
that the central government has so far sanctioned 45 Agri Export
Zones (AEZs) in 17 different States. The total likely investment
estimated in these AEZs will be around Rs. 1248 crores. About
Rs. 362 crore will flow from various central government agencies
like Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development
Authority (APEDA), National Horticulture Board, Ministry of
Food Processing Industries and Ministry of Agriculture and Rs.
195 crore and Rs. 691 crore will be contributed by state governments
and private enterprises respectively.
India and its neighbouring
countries namely Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives
are members of SAARC Preferential Trade Arrangement (SAPTA)
which was signed on 11th April, 1993 at the 7th
SAARC Summit held in Dhaka. The final objective of the negotiation
under SAPTA is the achievement of South Asian Free Trade (SAFTA).
In the SAARC Summit held in Colombo in July 1998, the Prime
Minister of India had indicated that India would be willing
to consider entering into bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
with SAARC countries interested in moving faster towards trade
liberalisation. Sri Lanka responded positively to this offer
and India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement was signed on 28th
December, 1998. A proposal for a bilateral Preferential Trade
Arrangement between India-Afghanistan is also under negotiation.
India is also a party to the Bangkok Agreement under which concessions
have been exchanged with the other participating countries,
namely, Bangladesh, Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka. China has
also acceded to the Bangkok Agreement recently but presently
no concessions have been exchanged between India and China under
the Agreement, he said.
