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Difficulty: MediumAnalytical Decision Making and Criteria Selection

The State Board of Industrial Development (SBID) allocates industrial plots in the "Tech-Park Zone".

Criteria for allocation of an industrial plot, as of August 14, 2026, are as follows.
An applicant company must:
1. Have a registered corporate office in the state for at least the last 5 years.
2. Have an annual turnover of not less than ₹50 Crores in the last financial year (2025-2026).
3. Guarantee direct employment generation for at least 150 local residents.
4. Have an approved eco-friendly waste management plan certified by the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB).
5. Deposit an initial earnest money of ₹10 Lakhs.

Exceptions:
However, if an applicant company satisfies all the above criteria EXCEPT:
(A) at (2) above, but is a recognized "Green-Tech Startup" registered under the Central Startup Scheme, the case is referred to the Secretary of SBID.
(B) at (3) above, but guarantees to invest more than ₹20 Crores in automated robotic manufacturing, the case is referred to the Tech-Park Director.
(C) at (4) above, but has deposited an additional environmental security fund of ₹5 Lakhs, the case is referred to the Environmental Compliance Committee (ECC).

"Zenith Eco-Systems" was registered and established its corporate office in the state in May 2019. The company's annual turnover in the 2025-2026 financial year was ₹75 Crores. It has an SPCB-certified waste management plan and has successfully deposited the ₹10 Lakhs earnest money. The company guarantees direct employment for 120 local residents, and to offset this, has submitted a binding guarantee to invest ₹25 Crores exclusively in automated robotic manufacturing.

Based on the information above, what administrative decision should be taken regarding this application?

  1. The case should be referred to the Tech-Park Director.Answer
  2. B
    The application should be rejected.
  3. C
    The industrial plot should be allocated directly.
  4. D
    The case should be referred to the Secretary of SBID.

Answer

The case should be referred to the Tech-Park Director.
The company satisfies all primary criteria except for criterion 3 (employment generation), as it only provides 120 jobs instead of the required 150. However, because the company guarantees an investment of ₹25 Crores exclusively in automated robotic manufacturing, it satisfies the condition of the second exception. According to this exception rule, such cases must be referred to the Tech-Park Director.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate Criterion 1 (Corporate office for 5 years)
Satisfied
The company was registered in May 2019, which is over 7 years ago as of August 2026.
2
Evaluate Criterion 2 (Turnover ≥ ₹50 Crores)
Satisfied
The company's turnover in the 2025-2026 financial year was ₹75 Crores.
3
Evaluate Criterion 3 (Employment ≥ 150)
Failed
The company only guarantees direct employment for 120 local residents.
4
Evaluate Criterion 4 (SPCB-certified plan) and Criterion 5 (₹10 Lakh deposit)
Satisfied
The company possesses the required SPCB certificate and has successfully deposited the earnest money.
5
Check for applicable exceptions for the failed criterion
The second exception applies
The company fails only criterion 3 and meets the specific exception condition by guaranteeing a ₹25 Crores investment in automated robotic manufacturing. Therefore, the prescribed action is a referral to the Tech-Park Director.

Key Concept

Applying multiple conditional rules and exception protocols in administrative scenarios to reach a procedural decision.
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Topics

Analytical Decision Making and Criteria Selection

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