The meeting of board of approvals in the commerce ministry, which was to take up over 70 new SEZ proposals on January 19, has been postponed to January 22.

The government has decided to put on hold fresh approvals for special economic zones pending a review by the group of ministers on SEZs and formulation of a new rehabilitation policy for farmers, mooted by prime minister Manmohan Singh recently.

The ministry of rural development has been asked to formulate a rehabilitation policy for farmers displaced by SEZs and other industrial projects, any fresh approvals would send conflicting signals.

In the meanwhile, the group of ministers on SEZs, headed by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, will meet on January 22 to review the policy amid the backlash in states such as West Bengal.

Following Nandigram and Singur uproar, many of the state governments have finally adopted caution in forwarding fresh proposals to the centre.