Abstract:
The concept of informal sector was introduced into international usage by International Labour Organisation in its Kenya mission during 1972. Prior to this, in 1971,Keith Hart; a social anthropologist, discussed the working of the informal sector in the context of a third world developing country; Accra, Ghana. Following these, significant studies started to appear with their prime focus on the informal sector of the less developed and transition countries, where the influence of this sector is found to be much more significant than in other countries. In view of the growing importance of the informal sector for the developing economies; the present study intend to throw light on the working of the urban informal manufacturing sector (UIMS) in an industrially backward state of India; namely Assam and makes a comparison to the national level. The main issues that the study deals with are the growth dynamics and productivity of the UIMS in Assam vis-D-vis India, production linkage between the formal sector and the UIMS and the issue of social security. The study uses both primary and secondary data to achieve the desired objectives. NSSO is the only reliable source of secondary information, which publishes data on informal sector at regular interval. The secondary information is used to assess and compare the growth dynamics and productivity of the UIMS of the state to the national level. Primary data was collected through a field survey of DGuwahatiD area which is the most urbanised centre of Assam and the entire north eastern region and thus portray a true representation of an urban area. The data collected through primary survey is used in the assessment of the production linkage and in the evaluation of the social security status of the urban informal worker of the state..
