The Home Ministry has liberalised norms for security clearance of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which have become a contentious issue in the political arena. The Commerce Ministry has been told that it needs to approach the Home Ministry for clearance, mainly in cases of SEZs proposed in border areas and coastal zones and, those proposed in the field of research and development.Official sources said barely five SEZ proposals were now pending with the Union Home Ministry and these are expected to be cleared within a week or so. There is also a move to ensure that requests for security clearance to proposed SEZs are decided upon within six to eight weeks.The matter was discussed at a meeting between Union Home Secretary V K Duggal and Union Commerce Secretary G K Pillai earlier this month. The Commerce Ministry has been told that it need not forward all SEZ proposals for security clearance. “Many of the proposals sent to us in the past do not need a clearance from the Home Ministry,” an official said.But the Union Home Ministry is keen that SEZs planned in border areas or in coastal areas, particularly near ports and docks, are scrutinised closely to make sure they do not pose a threat to national security. The ministry is of the view that it needs to look at three key aspects from the security point of view: the investor and the country to which it belongs; the area where an SEZ is proposed and its product or nature of operation.“We have liberalised the process but security interests will still be kept intact,” Union Home Secretary V K Duggal said. The Standing Committee on Commerce, which is expected to present a report in the Budget session of Parliament, has already been briefed on the liberalised system.The Board of Approvals for SEZs has given formal approval to 237 projects and in-principle clearance to another 164. The number of projects that have already been notified stands at 63, with several already functioning. Incidentally, the last meeting of the board scheduled for January 19 was postponed in view of a meeting of the EGOM on SEZs called for this Monday. But the EGOM meeting remained inconclusive on key issues including land acquisition.Officials said besides border areas and coastal zones, the Home Ministry might also take a close look at projects planned in areas that are disturbed, for instance Naxal-affected areas. Security clearance has been a contentious issue in the past, with the matter of Chinese technicians who were supposed to help set up and train workers in Indian SEZs becoming a matter of concern for security agencies.
