NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The government on Wednesday approved 16 proposals to set up special economic zones from a list of nearly two dozen which had already received preliminary clearance.

Vedanta Alumina, Suzlon Infrastructure, real estate firm DLF and Unitech were among firms given the nod by a state approval board, a government statement said.

London-listed Vedanta Resources is setting up a 1.4 million tonne alumina project in the eastern state of Orissa, but it was not immediately clear whether this was the project cleared.

A senior official said a decision on a proposal by Reliance Industries for an SEZ in Navi Mumbai, on the outskirts of India 's economic hub of Mumbai, had been deferred as customs officials wanted further details.

He added the proposal was likely to be taken up at the next meeting of the board on May 31.

Last month, India ended a two-month freeze on approvals of special economic zones, which are large tax-free industrial enclaves created with the aim of boosting industrial growth.

The ruling Congress-led coalition had embarked on an ambitious plan to revitalise industry through SEZs in its quest for 10 percent annual economic growth.

But thousands of farmers across the country had protested against the government's compulsory land acquisition at some sites, claiming they had not been adequately compensated.

In West Bengal, 14 farmers were killed in clashes with police in the village of Nandigram . Ruling communists eventually shelved plans for an industrial park there that was to have been built with the help of Indonesia 's Salim Group.