Centre Allows 100% WFH For SEZ (Special Zone) IT Units Till December 2023

The government on Thursday permitted complete work from home option to employees of IT units in a special economic zone till December 2023.

The government has amended the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) rules to permit IT/ITeS units in SEZs to allow 100 per cent of their workforce to work from home (WFH) till December 31, 2023 with certain conditions.

"A unit may permit its employees...to work from home or from any place outside the SEZ," the commerce ministry said in a notification.

As per the conditions, SEZ unit owners have to intimate the same to the Development Commissioner of the respective zones and will have to continue to operate from the premises as per their letter of approval.

Units seeking WFH in future can email an intimation on or before the date of commencement of WFH.

Employees covered in the decision include workforce who are temporarily incapacitated; those who are travelling; and those working offsite, according to the notification of the commerce ministry.

It also said that the unit will not be required to submit the list of employees who are allowed to follow WFH or from any place outside the zone, but have to maintain that list within the unit.

The unit will have to ensure that export revenue of the resultant produces or services must be accounted for by the unit to which the employee is tagged.

Laptops, desktops or other equipment can be provided to employees for work from home, it added.

Earlier, work from home was permitted for a maximum period of one year in a special economic zone unit and it could be extended to 50 per cent of the total employees.

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