New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS): The central government has told Tamil Nadu that the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) norms as to the size of National Investment and Manufacturing Zones (NIMZ) cannot be relaxed, parliament was told Friday.

"Government of Tamil Nadu has been informed that since the area stipulated under NMP for setting up of NIMZ is minimum 5,000 hectares... their proposal do not qualify for approval as NIMZ," Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Tamil Nadu had requested for relaxation of the minimum area norm for their proposal to create three new manufacturing zones and extend the benefits of NIMZs to these zones as well as to the existing industrial clusters in Tamil Nadu.

"These zones may be developed by Government of Tamil Nadu as industrial clusters to avail of the benefits under NMP as per the guidelines and dispensations for cluster notified to states," Sitharaman said.