MoSPI Invites Feedback on New Annual Survey To Map India’s Incorporated Services Sector
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Institutions: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation | National Statistical Office
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the draft questionnaire for the forthcoming Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises (ASISSE) and invited public feedback until 31 October 2025. The survey aims to fill a long-standing statistical gap by capturing comprehensive data on India’s incorporated services enterprises—a sector contributing over 50% of national GDP and employing millions.
Until now, official data collection focused primarily on the unincorporated services sector through the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE), leaving limited information on incorporated firms. The ASISSE will address this by using the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) database as its sampling frame, covering sectors such as construction, trade, transport, accommodation, information and communication, health, education, and real estate.
A pilot study—the Annual Survey of Services Sector Enterprises (ASSSE)—was conducted in 2024–25 to test the GSTN-based sampling method, verify enterprise information, and assess data collection feasibility. Its findings have guided the current ASISSE design, refined with expert inputs from a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and a stakeholder brainstorming session held in August 2025.
The ASISSE will provide India’s first systematic database on corporate services enterprises, enabling evidence-based policymaking in trade, employment, investment, and productivity. Reliable sectoral data will help policymakers track post-pandemic recovery, assess service-sector competitiveness, and align industrial and digital economy strategies under Gati Shakti and Make in India 2.0. It will also support national accounts refinement and subnational data-driven planning.
What are Incorporated Services Enterprises? → These are registered or formally constituted firms providing services — such as banks, hospitals, software companies, telecom providers, logistics firms, hotels, or private universities — that operate as companies or limited-liability entities under the Companies Act. They differ from unincorporated enterprises, which are typically small, household-run or informal units not registered as companies.
What is the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) Database? → The GSTN is the digital backbone of India’s Goods and Services Tax system, maintaining detailed registration, return, and transaction data of businesses paying GST. It covers millions of enterprises across sectors, recording turnover, location, and activity details. Using the GSTN as a sampling frame allows the government to draw statistically representative samples of incorporated firms for national surveys like ASISSE.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
What incentives or data-sharing safeguards are needed to ensure corporate participation and data accuracy in ASISSE submissions?
Follow the full news here: PIB Press Release 17 Oct 2025 | MoSPI Circular and Draft Questionnaire (PDF)