Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

17th August 1673

All the 23 Chief Ministers, accompanied by some of the important cabinet ministers of the empire, held a press conference and informed about the special economic zones and the growth models of the state with great fanfare, and the effect it had was immediate. The news spread like wildfire all over the empire, appearing like Ganesha Chaturthi coming early for the Industrialists, causing an earthquake in the business circles.

With the policy being officially put into motion, several locations in a state, sometimes one, sometimes multiple, were designated as special economic zones, and their management was immediately taken over by the commissioner, with the plaque bearing the insignia of the Ministry of Special Tasks planted right outside the SEZ management office, surprising the unsuspecting people walking by who had always thought that the building was simply a headquarters for some private company.

An old and dignified gentleman of Mysore, wearing a pagadi and woollen shawl, was taken aback by the bright plaque he came across during his routine walk in the neighbourhood. Looking at the board, his brows furrowed; hence, he came forward to the newly established SEZ Management Office and asked what was going on.

The commissioner, who had only recently taken up the post, smiled and carefully explained, "Mysore has been designated as one of the special economic zone cities."

The old man couldn't immediately associate the word with anything he knew, but slowly he remembered the so-called SEZ, which his son seemed to have repeatedly mentioned with a tone of admiration since yesterday, and due to his ramblings, he got to know a little about it. "Does that mean all the companies will come to Mysore?" he inquired, his voice tinged with worry. He was an elderly man after all, he didn't want his hometown, where he was born and grew up, to change too much; he was very happy with how things were.

The commissioner, hearing the tone of the voice, understood the emotions of the old man, but he could not lie. "Companies will definitely increase in Mysore, but do not worry, yajamana (House head), the city will not be affected in any way because the city will be treated as a completely different entity from the special economic zone."

He showed a map to the old man and explained, "The circular red border is the city limit, and the small circular green border is the Special Economic Zone limit."

"Both are completely different entities managed by completely different people. The city will not be touched; instead, in case any expansion is needed, we will expand southward and not encroach on the city."

The old man was relieved, "Oh, that's good."

Complaints and enquiries like the ones the old man made came frequently to the various SEZ management offices in the empire, but in the end, people were all relieved that the city itself would not be changed, but its outskirts would.

Thankfully, this was a problem only in a few Special Economic Zones, whose location was chosen to be coupled with cities that were already large; the rest were mostly in empty land or in small towns or villages.

The news about the Special Economic Zones in the newspapers was vague. It was stated in the newspaper that there were several benefits of the SEZ, but unfortunately, no newspaper mentioned all the benefits, and even if it did, it was highly inconsistent from one SEZ to another. The only consistent one was Business Weekly of the Raya Media Corporation, but it did not have a monopoly to influence all the businessmen in the empire. Not to mention, everyone ultimately knew that going to the Special Economic Zone personally to inspect was a better alternative.

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Pashtun Pradesh

The Commissioner of the Swat Valley SEZ sat in front of various small business owners who had come to enquire about the only Special Economic Zone in the state.

"Thank you, everyone, for showing interest", he thanked with a namaskara.

"First of all, this is a Special Economic Zone focused on the fruit industrial chain."

"So the products the SEZ is looking to promote are also products that have fruits in them." It should have been a 'duh' moment, but the businessmen nodded seriously.

"Currently, the SEZ of Swat Valley covers an area of four kilometres. In these four kilometres, the land is available for any industrial company that wants to come and settle. The sale of the land is flexible; we can sell you a few acres or even a few thousand acres. This is a new industrial district we are building, and it will be built according to the needs of the industries settling here."

"As for the benefits, the five offices of the five banks of the empire have already been set up," he said as he pointed towards the building next door.

"So you don't have to worry about the financial infrastructure in the Special Economic Zone, as it has already been thought of. When the zone is built up, the five offices of the banks that are in the same building will relocate and will have their own offices in the Economic Zone. Not to mention, several investment banks have already shown interest in setting up their branches here."

"Additionally, apart from the financial infrastructure, with the setting up of branch offices from several reputable logistic companies, a dedicated Arkha Dristhi communication line, a post office with money transfer and courier options, a branch of the Bharatiya Standards Organization, several Pharmacies, and ample water coming from the nearby reserve and a unified drainage connection built under the SEZ; Communications, policy, BSO approval, and transportation have all been taken care of."

"In the future, if the SEZ gets big enough, a dedicated court to resolve disputes between companies will be established, along with hospitals, daycares, and schools. A large laboratory facility to research better ways to help farmers produce fruits could be established as well."

"By settling in this Special Economic Zone, not only will all the tax revenue on the land be exempt, but the production tax will also be exempted for a decade. The export duty will be reduced by 50% for 15 years, and the land can be leased at 75% of the normal rate. Export subsidies are available as well, it can range from 1 varaha to 10 varaha depending on the type of product, and most importantly, the Special Economic Zone has already obtained the GI indicator, so in the future, products produced in this Special Economic Zone would have the GI mark of the Swat Valley."

The industries in Paktun Pradesh were still at their beginning stages, and it hadn't been modernised yet, being the westernmost state of the empire. But due to a large military presence at the border and the increasing spending on border infrastructure in recent years, roads have been improved, and a lot of jobs have been provided, creating an environment for businesses to prosper.

All the industries in Paktun Pradesh are such businesses that have been established only in the recent years, so when they learnt about the benefits of this Special Economic Zone, it was like a pie falling from the sky.

A middle-aged man wearing a red turban stood up with determination, "Commissioner, my company is willing to relocate immediately. I am currently producing fruit jams. Is it possible to allocate me a plot of land?"

The commissioner's eyes lit up when the first person who took the step appeared, "Absolutely, if you are not able to settle in this SEZ, presumably no one will. How much land are you looking to buy? Keep in mind the price will be at 75% of the market price."

The man hesitated and replied, "I will buy twenty acres if possible, Sir." The workshop in his hometown was only five acres, but his hometown had more expensive land rates, so he was planning to sell that land.

"Yes, it is possible. If you are taking a loan, you can get a credit certificate from one of the five banks. Given your intention to settle in the industrial zone, they will approve you immediately if you have good collateral. If you are not, you can actually consider taking a loan. For the companies looking to settle in SEZ, the loan policy is very loose and very beneficial."

The man thought for a while and shook his head, "No, Sir, I don't want to go into debt immediately. After I see some profit, I'll think about expansion."

"Is that so? In that case, please follow my assistant. He will take you through the various locations you can choose and complete the procedure."

"Is there anyone else who is interested in relocating or investing in the Special Economic Zone?"

The first person sealing the deal was all it took to give confidence to the others. Several people immediately stood up and responded actively to the call.

To be continued...

P.S. Thank you, its_a_joke for the Inspiration capsule