New Delhi: The centre today announced its approval for 34 new proposals for setting up special economic zones. This takes the total number of clearances to over 600 tax-free zones.

While the board of approvals, has given in-principle clearance to four SEZ proposals, it has also formally cleared 30 proposals, including SAIL's proposed steel SEZ to be located at Salem, Tamil Nadu.

According to commerce secretary G K Pillai, the chairman of the board of approvals, an investment of Rs56,000 crore had already been made in the 187 notified SEZs.

Pillai said that these projects would create 100,000 jobs in 2008 itself.