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Thiruvananthapuram , Feb. 3

THERE has been a decline in the number of small-scale units registered and employment generated in Kerala in 2003-04.

According to the Economic Review - 2004, the number of registered SSI units in the State was 5,305 during the year and the employment generated by them 21,890. In the case of employment, it was 48 per cent less than in the previous year.

In terms of investment also, there has been a fall of 57 per cent over the previous year. The decline in registration may be attributed to the shift in focus from target orientation to quality orientation by the Industries Department, the survey notes.

The total number of registered SSI units in the State as on March 31, 2004, was 2.75 lakh with a combined investment of Rs. 4,031 crore. The number of workers employed by them was 12.37 lakh.

Of the total number of units, 6,477 were identified as sick and the Industries Department so far could revive 1,217 of them. In spite of setting up separate cells in the district industries centres for the revival of sick units, the total number of units revived came down from 42 in the previous year to 36 in 2003-04.

The major reasons for the sickness of the SSI units are lack of demand, shortage of working capital, non-availability of raw materials and labour and marketing problems, says the review.

It says that unemployment in general in the State has remained high. According to the live registers of employment exchanges in the State, the total number of jobseekers in 2003 was 40.05 lakh.

A peculiar feature of Kerala's unemployment situation is that women outnumber men seeking employment through employment exchanges. Of the total number of 40.05 jobseekers, the number of women was 23.10 lakh.

The high registration in the employment exchanges also reveals a marked preference for white-collar Government jobs.

Because of this, the State has a paradox of high-wage unskilled labourer and low-wage educated worker, it adds.

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