Foreword
The small-scale Industries (ssi) covering a wide spectrum of industries in small, tiny and cottage sector occupy an important position in planned development of Indian Economy and has emerged as a dynamic and vibrant sector. The sector accounts for 40% of the industrial production, 35% of the total exports and employs about 16.7 million persons in about 3.2 million 881 units in the country. The SSi sector acts as a 'nursery' for the development of entrepreneurial talent. This sector, which manufactures a wide range of more than 7,500 products, supplies the lower income groups with inexpensive consumer goods and services as well as meet the requirements of sophisticated technology based industries in India and abroad. However, unplanned, uncontrolled and haphazard growth of these industries has resulted in the problem of pollution in several parts of the country .

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has undertaken an exercise to estimate the pollution load from industrial sources and to assess the status of pollution control in various sectors of industries. Information related to large and medium scale industries of significantly polluting categories has been compiled in parts but similar assessment for small-scale industries was not accomplished so far.