Mumbai: The government has removed an additional 79 items from a list of 114 items reserved for manufacture in the small-scale sector, leaving only 35 items reserved for SSI units.

The announcement of the exclusion of 79 more items from the SSI list came on February 5.

The government has been de-reserving items in a gradual and calibrated manner to increase competitiveness of the industry, facilitate adequate flow of credit and upgrade technology, an official statement said on Friday.

The move would also enable the Indian industry to compete with imports, achieve economies of scale and create job opportunities, it said.

The 35 items reserved for the SSI sector include food and allied items, wood, wood products, paper and paper products, plastic products, organic chemicals, drugs, drug intermediates, other chemicals, chemical products, glass, ceramics, mechanical engineering and electrical machines, appliances and apparatus.

The government de-reserved 108 items in 2005, another 180 items in 2006 and 212 more in  2007.