There are three types of industries, 1. Major or heavy or large scale industries, 2. Small-scale industries and 3. Village or cottage industries. In the first two categories, machinery is used and less number of men is employed.
In India, industries with a fixed asset of more than one hundred million rupees are called large scale industries. These could be manufacturing units or others which use both indigenous and imported technologies.
Small-scale industries are manufacturing units, mainly making accessories for large-scale industries, using mostly indigenous technology. They are usually situated in the vicinity of large-scale industries.
This category of industries mainly uses traditional skills and is related with tradition, art and I culture. These industries utilize specific skills and locally available raw materials.
SIDO helps in giving technical and managerial inputs, making project reports and training entrepreneurs of small scale industries. It maintains a close contact with financial and training institutions, Government and other agencies for the promotion and development of small industrial units.
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) was established in October 1989 and commenced its operation from April 1990 with its Head Office at Lucknow as a development bank, exclusively for the small scale industries.
The National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC) was set up in 1955 as a central government undertaking, the main aim of which is to fulfill the requirement of machinery and equipment for the development of the small entrepreneurs.
The 'District Industries Centre' (DICs) programme was started by the central government in 1978 with the objective of providing a focal point for promoting small, tiny, cottage and village industries in a particular area and to make available to them all necessary services and facilities at one place.
The growth and development of industries particularly small and medium enterprises largely depends upon the availability of the institutional supports to industries in a country.
Sickness in man is gradual process and does not develop suddenly. Similar is the case with industrial units. Therefore, in common parlance, a sick industry is one which is not healthy and a healthy unit is one which earns a reasonable return on capital employed and builds up reserves after providing reasonable depreciation.