January 23, 2002	Wednesday	Ziqa'ad 8, 1422

KARACHI, Jan 22: A comprehensive questionnaire seeking information virtually on all aspects of industrial production is being dispatched to more than 10,000 industrial units all over the country.

All this information is being gathered for a census of the manufacturing industries (CMI) by the Federal Bureau of Statistics. The CMI provides data on value of fixed assets, stocks, employment and employment cost, fuel used, electricity consumed, raw materials, value of production, taxes, overhead expenses, industrial cost and value addition in large scale industries. The last census was held in 1995-96.

Going by the experience of last industrial census in 1995-96, when out of 8,104 industrial units only 5,101 replied back the questionnaire, the expectation is that all the industries—10,071 to be exact—may not reply. In last census 1,547 factories did not respond at all.

Officials say all the industries—public sector or private—are bound to reply the questionnaire under the Industrial Statistical Act 1942 within three months. Non compliance with this questionnaire could result in penalty but hardly any such punitive action has been ever taken in the past.

Under this Act, the officials are also bound to maintain secrecy of the specific factory and violation can result a penalty on them.

But a perpetual mistrust and a virtual adversarial relationship between the government and the businessmen all through more than fifty years in Pakistan, inhibits the owners of industries to fully disclose the information of their operations.

Therefore, the Bureau is expected to associate the chambers and trade association in soliciting replies of its 20-page questionnaire from the owners of the industry after convincing them that all this data and information is vital for preparations of the future development plans.

The bureau is dispatching questionnaire to 5,866 industries in Punjab, 3,228 in Sindh, 667 in NWFP, 240 in Balochistan and 70 in Islamabad.

In last census of 1995-96, 5,048 factories in Punjab were approached. Out of those 2,741 units replied back. In Sindh, 2,197 factory owners were given questionnaire of whom 1,766 replied back. In NWFP 471 replied back out of 539 and only 73 in Balochistan responded out of 236 approached. In Islamabad 50 replies were received out of 64 approached.

In 1995-96, the Punjab provincial department reported closure of 1,120 industrial units.

Sindh reported closure of 141 units, NWFP 65, Balochistan 165 and Islamabad 14 units.

Official statistics show that despite many problems, industries functioned well and maintained a growth during 1990 to 1995.

The contribution of large scale industry in the gross domestic production increased from Rs93 billion in 1990-91 to over Rs184 billion. Sindh’s industrial contribution was highest in the country. It was Rs44 billion in 1990-91, which went up to Rs79.36 billion in