HYDERABAD: Telangana continues to hold its position as a key industrial hub in India. According to the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2023-24, released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the state ranks among the country’s top 10 industrial states, contributing 2.67% of total output and 3.37% of Gross Value Added (GVA) in the factory sector.
The pharmaceutical sector remains Telangana’s strongest pillar. With an output of Rs 79,24,593 lakh and GVA of Rs 24,45,188 lakh, the state ranks among the top three in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemicals, and botanical products.
Tobacco products also bolstered the economy, generating an output of Rs 3,81,758 lakh and GVA of Rs 1,93,918 lakh, accounting for a 6.83% share of national output. Paper and related industries contributed Rs 15,88,706 lakh in output and Rs 3,84,102 lakh in GVA, nearly 7% of India’s share, while electronics and computer products registered output of Rs 29,96,840 lakh and GVA of Rs 5,46,637 lakh.
A comparison between ASI 2022-23 and 2023-24 shows some contraction. The number of operating factories grew modestly from 10,503 to 10,700, but key indicators such as fixed capital (Rs 12,30,574 lakh to Rs 11,55,655 lakh), working capital (Rs 9,30,696 lakh to Rs 8,32,429 lakh), and invested capital (Rs 20,00,259 lakh to Rs 18,78,133 lakh) declined. The gross value of plant and machinery also fell slightly from Rs 10,63,083 lakh to Rs 10,43,790 lakh.
On the employment front, Telangana reported 9,466 factories in operation during 2023-24, employing 7,32,786 workers and engaging 8,60,670 persons. Across the broader dataset, total persons engaged marginally declined from 9,11,843 in 2022-23 to 9,11,083 in 2023-24. Total emoluments also dropped from Rs 26,24,058 lakh to Rs 24,55,978 lakh. Factories with 30 to 99 workers continued to dominate, while around 5% of units employed over 1,000 workers.
Industrial output and income indicators reflected sharper declines. Total input fell from Rs 32,78,548 lakh in 2022-23 to Rs 29,43,124 lakh in 2023-24, output slipped from Rs 40,98,416 lakh to 3`6,83,177 lakh, and GVA decreased from Rs 8,19,868 lakh to Rs 7,40,193 lakh. Despite this contraction, Telangana’s share in India’s aggregate GVA edged up slightly from 3.34% to 3.37%, highlighting its resilience on the national stage.
The survey noted that while Telangana accounted for 4.8% of India’s operating factories, it attracted only 2.95% of invested capital and 2.4% of plant and machinery value, indicating a tilt toward labour-intensive industries rather than capital-heavy investments.
Most factories operated with machinery investment below Rs 5 crore, in line with national trends dominated by medium and small-scale enterprises.
At the national level, Telangana ranked seventh in total persons engaged, contributing 4.55% of the workforce, and eighth in emoluments, with a 3.56% share.