Employment to be main criterion for coastal economic zones

Coastal Economic Zones (CEZs) may be renamed Coastal Employment Zones, keeping in view their job-generating potential and giving them an identity.

Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari’s favourite project will make employment generation the main condition while giving approval to industrial units looking at setting up shop in these zones.

Under its Sagarmala programme, the government had in July 2016 announced building 14 CEZs, which will be aligned to ports in maritime states. These will house Coastal Economic Units for setting up manufacturing facilities.

According to a senior official in the know, “The proposal to change the