Investors concerned over delay in DESH Bill for SEZs

28 Nov 2022 CW Team

Global institutional investors and developers of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are getting increasingly concerned over the delay in implementation of the Development of Enterprises and Services Hub Bill, 2022 (DESH Bill) and are seeking to expedite its execution.

The DESH Bill, aimed at helping generate more employment and revenue, apart from preventing migration of key business functions to other countries including China and the Philippines, was introduced in the Union Budget this year, but has not been implemented yet.

Institutional investors with exposure to SEZs and realty developers have held multiple meetings with the Central government, especially the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in this regard, and made presentations to allay the ministry’s apprehensions over revenue loss.

The DESH Bill or amendments to SEZ rules will allow domestic-oriented businesses to operate from these economic hubs. Lack of clarity on final implementation of the bill has delayed effective developments in SEZs, leading to gross under-utilisation of space.

“A paradigm shift in the way business is conducted for the service units is required, which can come from implementation of recommendations of the Baba Kalyani Committee constituted for the SEZ review. Modifications such as co-existence of export oriented and domestic business units within common premises will be a definitive game changer for India,” said Sigrid Zialcita, chief executive officer, Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA).

Infrastructure Urban

05 Sep 2025

Hindustan Zinc Cuts Freshwater Use by 28%, Saves 71 Billion Litres

Hindustan Zinc, India’s only and the world’s largest integrated zinc producer, has reduced its freshwater use by 28 per cent over the past decade, recycling 71 billion litres of treated sewage water between FY2016 and FY2025. This volume could meet Udaipur’s water needs for more than 500 days. Operating in water-stressed Rajasthan, the company has achieved 3.32 times water positivity by treating and reusing all process water in operations. In partnership with the Government of Rajasthan, Hindustan Zinc pioneered Udaipur’s first Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in 2014 under a PPP mode..

Atlassian Expands India Presence with New R&D Centre in Bengaluru

Atlassian, a leading provider of team collaboration and productivity software including Jira, Confluence, and Loom, announced the opening of its new R&D Centre in Bengaluru. Spanning over 2 lakh sq ft, the facility is four times larger than its previous office and designed to accommodate more than 1,000 employees, reinforcing India’s position as a strategic hub for the company’s global R&D efforts. Since entering India in 2018 with a 60-member team, Atlassian has grown to employ over 2,500 people, its largest workforce outside Australia and the US. Nearly 75 per cent of its In..

Construction leaders recognised: L&T, ITD, Afcons, NCC

Mumbai Metro Line 3 soon to start,” said Ashwini Bhide, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Managing Director, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), during her fireside chat with Pratap Padode at the 23rd Construction World Global Awards (CWGA) 2025. Her announcement struck a chord with the audience, resonating with what Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), had earlier shared in his keynote address: that Mumbai’s transformation was not just about megaprojects, but also about delivering them sustainably a..