Citizens’ Research Collective on SEZ

Akshaya Mukul

New Delhi, February 9, 2008: The PMO’s idea of ‘Social Development Zones’ found favour in the first meeting held on Friday to concretise the proposal.

However, HRD ministry while agreeing with the concept raised issues that could come up due to land acquisition. This is particularly significant since land acquisition for SEZs has already created social unrest.

The ministry even suggested that the government look into setting up SDZs or knowledge hubs in the SEZs that have already been cleared.

Ministries of health and commerce and Planning Commission also agreed with the overall concept. PMO has now decided to call another meeting in the next three weeks to take SDZs off the drawing board stage.

The idea of SDZs emanates from the fact that in the 11th Plan, public investment in education would be made for 30 central universities, eight IITs and seven IIMs.

The PMO’s concept note says the Union government, by declaring these new locations as SDZs, can develop in partnership with states, a framework for SDZs to catalyse complementary investment from the private sector in the areas of education, health and skill development.

“State governments will acquire more land than is required for these identified central institutions for the purpose of these SDZs and offer it to private sector for investment,” the note says. These will become knowledge townships where knowledge-related services become available to people, the note says.

Listing out the advantages of SDZs, PMO has said that to make the concept a reality no additional fund is required.

Also, SDZs can address problems of shortage in education, health and vocational education infrastructure. The private sector, which is looking for investment opportunities in education and health, is constrained by land and the regulatory regime but SDZs would encourage them.

Such knowledge hubs, PMO says, would also gain from cross-fertilisation of ideas across disciplines. “SDZs will provide a counterpoint to SEZs with public sector investment playing the anchor role and makes the two complementary,” the note says.

Source: Times of India