"Robust, high-frequency data on the informal sector is a precondition for evidence-based policy." Discuss with reference to recent reforms in the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises.

India's unincorporated non-agricultural sector covers small manufacturing, trade and service units that are not registered companies. It employed more than 12 crore workers in 2023–24 [2]. Policy for such a large and scattered sector can only be as good as its data. Recent reforms to ASUSE, which the NSO (MoSPI) conducts, are narrowing this gap.

Why robust, high-frequency data is a precondition

• National accounts: informal-sector GVA feeds into GDP. The new 2022–23 base-year series is also adding high-frequency administrative data such as GST [5].
• Targeting: female-owned proprietary establishments rose from 22.9% to 26.2% between 2022–23 and 2023–24 [2]. Figures like this guide credit and skilling support for women.
• Timeliness: annual data alone picks up shocks too late for timely relief to micro-units.
• Regional variation: the top 50 districts account for nearly one-third of the sector's establishments, workforce and GVA [4]. National averages hide this concentration.

Recent ASUSE reforms

• Quarterly bulletins (QBUSE) since ASUSE 2025, made possible by a revised sample design and a larger sample [3].
• First-ever district-level estimates (Sep 2026), which show women make up one-third of the workforce in 237 districts [4].
• Financial-year alignment: ASUSE 2027–28 will run from April 2027 to March 2028, matching the national accounts and Budget cycle [1].
• Policy-tuned questions: gender-specific constraints faced by women entrepreneurs (asked for the first time), sources of electricity, investment in fixed assets, and handloom/handicraft identification requested by the Ministry of Textiles [1].
• Demand-driven design: the schedule was shaped by Data User Conferences and consultations with ministries [1].

Gaps that remain

• Comparability breaks: the survey period moved from Oct–Sep to Jan–Dec and now to Apr–Mar. This leaves Oct–Dec 2024 and Jan–Mar 2027 outside every annual round [2][3][1].
• Misleading headlines: GVA growth of 16.52% is at current prices. Establishments grew 12.84% but employment grew only 10.01%, so the average unit got smaller [2].
• Survivorship bias: the survey visits only existing firms. It cannot see women who never started a business because of these constraints.

ASUSE has moved from a lagging annual snapshot to quarterly, district-level data designed around policy needs. Next, NSO should survey the missing Jan–Mar 2027 quarter, publish a table linking the three survey calendars, and report constant-price and per-unit figures in its headline releases. Such data would support evidence-based policy for SDG 8 (decent work and inclusive growth).