Recent trend of village and small enterprise sector: exploring and exploiting its opportunities in the North Eastern Region of India touching upon its profile and barriers

Development of village, micro and small enterprises in India has a special significance with regard to bridging up the disparities between urban and rural sectors of the economy on the one hand and the more industrialized and the less industrialized states on the other. It would also channelize to the mainstream the forces of development in the rural and remote areas presently strewn with the immense possibilities of manufacturing and service activities. Mahatma Gandhi had envisioned this long back, but Indian planners exhibited their preference to development of large-scale industries first. However, after having taken a step further to globalization and liberalization, India has recognized the relevance of small enterprises. Enactment of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 is an instance of the action taken in the wake of this recognition. The North Eastern Region (NER) of India comprises eight states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, all well known for their handicrafts. The Schedule Tribes form the majority of population there. Most of these states are hilly and have remained agriculturally as well as industrially backward. Promotion of small enterprises is most suitable for their timely development. In this paper we present a statistically detailed profile of small enterprises in the NER. We explore the possibilities of development of the small enterprises sector and discuss the constraints on the same.