We can draw the following conclusions based on these studies;

(i) Even though Karnataka exhibits better energy efficiency compared to the Indian figures, it has higher energy consumption (lower energy efficiency) values for 34 groups out of a total of 146 groups considered. This means that a closer look at these 34 groups is needed.

(ii) Karnataka's map of Small Scale Industries reveals an uneven distribution of the industries amongst the various districts. Bangalore's share is very high. It has 30.59% of the SSI units in the State and has a share of 38.22% in the total investment.

Bangalore also needs the highest investment per job. Its investment/job is Rs. 26,896.67 compared to Rs. 4,581.44 for Chikmagalur. (Bangalore rural needs a still higher figure).

(iii) Percentage of population getting employment in Small Scale Industries is not high. It is very low. The maximum comes from Bangalore 3.16%; the lowest is for Gulbarga - only 0.376%. Only 4 districts cross the 1% mark; all others have employment for less than 1% of their population in the SSI sector.

(iv) Investment/capita also shows Bangalore leading (with Rs.290.68 cumulative) and Bijapur on the lower side (Rs. 25.15). Only four districts have investment/capita greater than the state average.

(v) Average investment per person employed for SSI is similar to that for the lower end of major industries - that is industries with a contract electricity demand of 100-250 KVA. A similar situation exists for energy consumption/person also.

(vi) One of the indices to compare energy efficiencies in a group of industries is the specific energy consumption factor - energy consumption per unit (rupee) of production. This was calculated for 47 groups of SSIs. Many groups exhibit very great differences for this index. Ratios of 1:100 are found in several sectors. Some of the groups with wide variations are bricks and tiles, bakeries, tyre retreading, castings and agricultural implements. They need immediate attention. There is a need for a central monitoring agency to prepare norms for various groups and inform the SSIs whenever they exceed the norms. Several associations exist for small scale sector in the Country and the State. They can also take a lead in establishing a monitoring agency.

(vii) Economic impact of energy on an industry can be indicated by the fractional cost of energy in the overall cost of production. Many industries spend more than 30 paise for energy in a rupee of production. Viability of an industry is closely related to the energy usage in many cases.

(viii) District-wise variations in specific energy consumptions show that Dakshina Kannada district has a high value and Bidar a low value. In order to separate energy intensity nature, groupwise analysis was conducted.

(ix) Group-wise and district-wise analysis of specific energy consumptions show wide variations in every group. About 33 groups reveal ratios of maximum to minimum specific energy consumptions greater than 10. This means that there is a remarkable potential for energy conservation in these groups.

(x) Group-wise and district-wise analysis of percentage of expenditure on energy reveal very high differences in some cases. Some of the groups, where some industries have an energy expenditure of 25% or more and many others with lower values, are foodgrain milling, biscuits, coffee powder, cold storage, bricks and tiles, and bullock carts and parts. In all these cases, marked differences exist suggesting again the need for energy conservation measures.