UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Unincorporated Establishments Surge Beyond 9 Crore, powering economic growth

Q1. Which one of the following is the first ever quarterly high-frequency official dataset released by India on unincorporated non-agricultural establishments?

  • A. Quarterly Bulletin of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (QBUSE)
  • B. Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) of the Labour Bureau
  • C. Index of Industrial Production (IIP) — Use-based quarterly series
  • D. Quarterly Estimates of Gross Value Added (QGVA) of MSMEs

Q2. The Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) and its quarterly bulletin (QBUSE) are conducted by which one of the following?

  • A. National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • B. Office of the Development Commissioner under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  • C. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • D. Labour Bureau under the Ministry of Labour and Employment

Q3. With reference to the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE), which of the following establishments are covered under its scope?

  1. A proprietorship engaged in manufacturing of handloom products
  2. A Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) operating a wholesale trading firm
  3. A Self-Help Group running a tailoring and repair service
  4. An unincorporated firm engaged in building construction
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 2 and 4 only

Q4. The Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) and the Quarterly Bulletin on Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (QBUSE) are conducted and released by which one of the following authorities?

  • A. Central Statistics Office under NITI Aayog
  • B. National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • C. Office of the Development Commissioner (MSME) under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
  • D. Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Q5. With reference to the Quarterly Bulletin on Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (QBUSE) for January–March 2026, consider the following statements:

  1. The estimated number of unincorporated non-agricultural establishments crossed the 9 crore mark for the first time.
  2. The year-on-year growth rate of establishments in the rural sector exceeded that in the urban sector.
  3. Total employment in the unincorporated non-agricultural sector crossed the 15 crore mark for the first time.
  4. More than 90% of unincorporated establishments reported acceptance of cashless modes of transactions.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q6. The Quarterly Bulletin on Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (QBUSE), released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. The quarterly edition of the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE), giving high-frequency estimates of non-agricultural informal establishments
  • B. A quarterly enterprise-level census of all MSMEs registered on the Udyam portal
  • C. A quarterly extension of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) covering only the rural unorganised workforce
  • D. A quarterly index of industrial production restricted to unincorporated manufacturing units

Q7. As per the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2025, approximately what share of proprietary establishments in India's unincorporated non-agricultural sector were female-owned?

  • A. About 22.9%
  • B. About 26.2%
  • C. About 27.0%
  • D. About 33.3%

Q8. In the context of the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE), the term 'proprietary establishment' is best described as:

  • A. An enterprise owned and operated by an individual or jointly by members of the same household, and not registered as a company under the Companies Act
  • B. A private limited company having fewer than fifty shareholders, incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013
  • C. An enterprise jointly owned by two or more partners and compulsorily registered under the Indian Partnership Act, 1932
  • D. A producer enterprise registered as a cooperative society under the relevant State Cooperative Societies Act

Q9. With reference to the concepts of 'informal sector', 'unorganised sector' and 'unincorporated sector' as used in official Indian statistics, consider the following statements:

  1. The National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) defined the informal sector to comprise all unincorporated private enterprises owned by individuals or households engaged in production or sale of goods and services on a proprietary or partnership basis with less than ten total workers.
  2. Every establishment covered under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation's Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) is, by definition, also registered as a Micro, Small or Medium Enterprise on the Udyam portal.
  3. The unincorporated sector as defined by MoSPI excludes enterprises registered under the Companies Act, 1956/2013 as well as the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. According to the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), the term 'informal sector' in India is defined as comprising which one of the following?

  • A. All unincorporated private enterprises owned by individuals or households, operated on a proprietary or partnership basis, with less than ten total workers
  • B. All enterprises that are not registered under the Factories Act, 1948, irrespective of the number of workers employed
  • C. All enterprises whose annual turnover is below the threshold prescribed for 'micro' enterprises under the MSMED Act, 2006
  • D. All proprietary and partnership enterprises engaged in agriculture and allied activities and employing only family labour

Q11. With reference to the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) and the Quarterly Bulletin of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (QBUSE) that provide estimates for Manufacturing, Trade and Other Services, which one of the following is the implementing agency?

  • A. Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • B. Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment
  • C. National Statistics Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • D. Office of the Development Commissioner (MSME), Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

Q12. With reference to the sectoral coverage of the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) 2023-24 as compared to ASUSE 2022-23, consider the following statements: 1. Among the three broad activity categories covered by ASUSE, the 'Other Services' sector recorded the highest growth in the number of establishments in 2023-24. 2. ASUSE covers unincorporated non-agricultural establishments engaged in Manufacturing, Trade, Other Services as well as Construction. 3. In ASUSE 2023-24, retail trade accounted for the single largest share of establishments among the detailed activity categories. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Among the three broad activity categories covered by ASUSE, the 'Other Services' sector recorded the highest growth in the number of establishments in 2023-24.
  2. ASUSE covers unincorporated non-agricultural establishments engaged in Manufacturing, Trade, Other Services as well as Construction.
  3. In ASUSE 2023-24, retail trade accounted for the single largest share of establishments among the detailed activity categories.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q13. With reference to the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE), which of the following are NOT covered under its survey frame?

  1. Own Account Enterprises engaged in trade
  2. Unincorporated manufacturing establishments (excluding those registered as companies)
  3. Construction sector establishments
  4. Enterprises registered as companies under the Companies Act, 2013
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q14. The first comprehensive survey of unincorporated non-agricultural enterprises in India after the Sixth Economic Census (2013) was conducted as a follow-up under which one of the following rounds of the National Sample Survey?

  • A. 67th Round (2010-11)
  • B. 73rd Round (2015-16)
  • C. 75th Round (2017-18)
  • D. 77th Round (2018-19)

Q15. With reference to the e-Shram portal, consider the following statements:

  1. It is administered by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India.
  2. Unorganised workers aged 16 to 59 years are eligible to register on it.
  3. Members of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) are eligible to register on it.
  4. An Aadhaar-linked mobile number is required for self-registration on the portal.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q16. Under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY), the loan category 'Tarun Plus' refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Collateral-free loans up to ₹50,000 for nano enterprises
  • B. Loans above ₹50,000 and up to ₹5 lakh for micro units expanding operations
  • C. Loans above ₹5 lakh and up to ₹10 lakh for established small businesses
  • D. Loans above ₹10 lakh and up to ₹20 lakh extended to entrepreneurs who have availed and successfully repaid earlier Tarun loans