Abstract
The micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector in Odisha’s Sundargarh district is crucial in generating employment opportunities, with agriculture being the only sector surpassing it. The state recognises the importance of this sector, as evidenced by the establishment of a dedicated department to promote and support MSMEs. At the national level, the Indian government has created a special department to foster growth in the MSME industry. Sundargarh district is a significant mining area in Odisha, known for its vast reserves of iron ore and other valuable minerals like lead, limestone, manganese and dolomite. The study primarily focuses on entrepreneurs (owners/managers) of various MSMEs in the Lathikata and Rajgangpur blocks of the Sundargarh district. These blocks were selected due to their high concentration of MSMEs among the 17 blocks in the district. The research involves a literature review and preliminary interviews with officers from relevant departments, District Industries Centre (DIC Rourkela and DIC Sundargarh), and MSMEs in Rourkela. A self-administered questionnaire was designed and distributed to entrepreneurs of MSMEs in the selected blocks. The research employed descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to analyse data. IBM SPSS 20 was used as the analytical tool. The study concluded that the dependent variable (annual income) is significantly correlated with gender, age, education, firm type, organisational structure, location and block, but not with the type of sector (manufacturing and service) and product manufactured. Additionally, the issues related to raw materials and their personal problem are a key area of concern.
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