Govt to release census report on MSME sector soon

NEW DELHI: A census report on the micro, small and medium enterprises in the country, identifying strengths and weaknesses of the sector, will be released soon, a senior government official said on Friday.

"We have conducted a census (for MSMEs) and we are expecting the results very soon," MSME Secretary Dinesh Rai said at function organised by AIMA here.

The sector employs about 420 lakh people and contributes around 40 per cent to both the country's industrial output exports.

The report would also provide information on production, raw material, employment, exports, assets, plant and machinery, products and services, net worth, loan taken by enterprises and outstanding debt, besides assessing the sick units under each category.

Rai said the report would be of a great help to the government in chalking out policies for the sector, which has taken a hit due to the ongoing global economic crisis.

"Once we have this data, we will be in a position to have more policy initiative in the area," he said.

The Economic Survey 2008-09 had said that due to limited data available on the sector, it was difficult to assess the impact of global slowdown on MSMEs.