India’s Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has proposed an April-March cycle for its unincorporated business survey from 2027, a shift intended to improve comparison with other official statistics.
The proposed Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2027–28 would run from April 2027 through March 2028, replacing calendar-year timing. The ministry is seeking comments on the schedule until Nov. 15, 2026.
The National Statistics Office (NSO), which conducts ASUSE, will collect data for January-March 2027 under the existing ASUSE 2026 schedule, MoSPI says. The ministry says this quarter will preserve quarterly estimates before the proposed cycle starts in April.
The revised questionnaire would cover barriers women entrepreneurs encounter in running their establishments, businesses’ electricity sources and fixed-asset investment over a longer reference period. Two questions requested by the Ministry of Textiles would distinguish handloom, power-loom and handicraft establishments.
MoSPI says the revisions follow stakeholder feedback during ASUSE 2026 and the NSO’s review of data needs. The ministry says the additional detail is intended for government ministries, policymakers and other users of business data.
The ministry expects financial-year timing to make ASUSE results more useful alongside statistics organized on the same fiscal calendar and in preparing National Accounts. It cited the Annual Survey of Industries and the Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises as examples of other enterprise surveys.
The NSO has conducted ASUSE since 2021–22. The survey tracks the profile and activity of unincorporated businesses, giving officials data for economic analysis, policymaking and national accounting.
Under the proposed sample design, participating states would also produce district-level estimates, following the approach used in earlier surveys.
