The Small Scale Industries
have been playing a significant role in the Indian economy in
terms of industrial production, employment generation and exports.
The role of the SSI sector has not changed since the seventies
and eighties. At present, the SSI sector contribution constitutes
39 per cent of industrial production, 34 percent in national exports
and provided employment to over 192 lakh persons in 2001-02.
The SSI sector has
emerged as a vibrant constituent of economy and is well equipped
to face the challenge of liberlisation. A Comprehensive policy
Package announced in August, 2000 contains several measures to
further strengthen this sector both domestically and globally.
The SSI sector has been assigned an important role in employment
generation during the Tenth Five-Year Plan. In the context of
the announcement made by the Prime Minister for generating 50
million additional jobs in the country during this period, the
SSI sector has been assigned the task of creating 4.4 million
additional jobs.
This information
was given by the Minister of State for Small Scale Industries,
Smt. Vasundhara Raje in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha
today.
