New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) The commerce ministry is considering to allow 100 per cent work from home for employees of units in special economic zones, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.

At present, work from home (WFH) is permitted for a maximum period of one year in a special economic zone (SEZ) unit and it can be extended to 50 per cent of the total employees.

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Goyal said the government has received requests from several quarters that still there are COVID-related restrictions at several places in different countries and people are not coming to offices.

"We had permitted work from home in SEZ units during COVID times. It was appreciated by all and it also helped in pushing our services exports. It was USD 254 billion last year. This year also there will be jump in that," he told reporters here.

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The minister said WFH can help in creating job opportunities in smaller cities like Rajkot and Una.

"It is in the interest of the country to allow work from home," he said, adding it would be for all sectors in SEZs.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)