India is planning a comprehensive nationwide survey of its MSME sector in 2026, driven by the statistics ministry at the MSME ministry's request. The survey aims to evaluate enterprise and worker conditions, financial inclusion, credit access, and...
New Delhi: For the first time, India is considering undertaking a comprehensive check-up of its micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), a sector that contributes about 30 % of India's GDP.
The statistics ministry is planning a nationwide survey in 2026, aiming to cover a wide range of indicators such as enterprise and worker conditions, financial inclusion, credit access, and online sales patterns, if any, in both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) formats.
MSMEs are crucial for the Indian economy and contribute around 30% to India's gross domestic product (GDP).
"It will be a year-long survey to eliminate the impact of seasonality," said a government official, adding that the survey is being carried out at the behest of the ministry of MSME.
An expert committee will also be set up to review MSME suggestions and recommend what else can be done, another official said.
"We first assess their (ministry's) requirements, check what administrative data is already available, and review our existing surveys to see if minor adjustments can capture the needed information. Only when these options are insufficient do we agree to launch a new survey," the official explained.
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At present, medium enterprises are covered under the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) and Annual Survey of Services Sector Enterprises (ASSSE) by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI), while small and micro enterprises are included in the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE).
These existing surveys primarily measure gross value added (GVA) and employment.
"We have asked the MSME ministry to provide the survey frame," the official said.
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In addition, MoSPI will conduct the All-India Debt & Investment Survey (AIDIS) and Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of Agricultural Households from July 2026 to June 2027, ET reported earlier.
Currently, the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey (DTES) and the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) are underway. A health survey, part of the 80th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), is also underway, capturing information on healthcare spending and types of ailments among others.
