Centre extends work from home for employees in SPZ till Dec 23

The ministry of commerce and industry on Thursday granted permission to the employees of IT/ITeS companies in the special economic zone to work from home till December 2023. Earlier, work from home in the special economic zone was allowed for only one year for 50% of the total workforce of any company. This is the fifth amendment in the Special Economic Zones, Rules, 2022.

With the new amendment, the facility for working from home or from any place outside the special economic zone may cover all the employees of the unit. Apart from employees engaged in providing information technology or information technology-enabled services (IT/ITeS), employees who are temporarily incapacitated, employees who are travelling and employees who are working from offsite are also allowed work from home. 

The notification by the ministry said, “Where a unit permits employees to work from home or from any place outside the special economic zone under this rule, it shall intimate the same to the development commissioner through an email on or before the date on which the facility for work from home or from any place outside the special economic zone is permitted.”

“Provided that where a unit has permitted its employees work from home or from any place outside the special economic zone, before the commencement of the special economic zones (fifth amendment) rules, 2022, and permits its employees to work from home or from any place outside the special economic zone under this rule, it shall intimate the same to the development commissioner through an email or before the 31st January, 2023,” it added.

While the units are not required to submit the lists of employees who are allowed to follow work from home or from any place outside the special economic zone, the unit is required to maintain the list of employees who have been permitted to work from home outside the special economic zone or from any place outside the special economic zone. The verification of such employees needs to be submitted to the development commissioner whenever required. Moreover, the unit shall ensure the export revenue of the resultant products or services is accounted for by the Unit to which the employee is tagged. 

Under the new rule, the Unit may provide employees with “duty-free goods, including laptop, desktop and other electronic equipment” which are needed for work from home or from any place outside the special economic zone. The employees are allowed to take the electronic equipment outside the special economic zone without payment of duty or integrated goods and services tax on a temporary basis.