Dimapur, April 13 (MExN): The micro business sector is one of India’s principal sectors that supplement the country’s larger economic enterprises particularly the rural production sector. Notwithstanding the thrust in the ‘feeder’ economic sectors such as micro, small and medium business, states such as agriculture-sustained Nagaland have fewer employed women in the said sector.
The Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises had recently undertaken a census for data on enterprise, employment and employment of women in the North East Region states. The 2011 data released by the ministry shows only an insignificant percentage of women employed in the micro business sector.
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises promotes schemes and special dispensation for women entrepreneurs in the North-Eastern Region with the hope of generating more employment for North eastern women. Interestingly, the total employed and the number of women among the employed shows a stark disparity.
According to the ministry’s data obtained here Assam has 19, 864 enterprises employing a total of 2, 10,507 workers. Out of it, the number of women is a negligible 62, 527. Comparatively Arunachal Pradesh enjoys a higher employed population-employed women ration: The state has only 417 enterprises but employs about 5, 411 out of which 1, 320 are women. As for Nagaland, the data shows the number of micro, small and medium enterprises for the state to be 1, 332 for which a total of 16, 281 are employed. Out of the 16, 281 only 3, 371 are women.
The Ministry said that it promotes new enterprises through schemes relating to credit, infrastructure development, technology up-grade, marketing and entrepreneurship skill development programmes in the country.
