Eight core sectors grew to a six-month high of 5.2 percent in September, aided by a robust performance in coal, natural gas and refinery segments, official data showed today.
The eight infrastructure sectors – coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity – had witnessed a growth of 5.3 percent in September last year.
The expansion in September is the highest since April, when the core sector growth stood at 2.6 percent.
- The production of coal, natural gas and refinery products rose by 10.6 percent, 6.3 percent and 8.1 percent, respectively on annual basis, according to the data released by the commerce ministry.
- Crude oil output registered a growth of 0.1 percent during the month under review as compared to a contraction of 4.1 percent in September 2016.
- Growth rate of steel and cement production was slower in September this year as against the same month previous fiscal.
- Electricity generation recorded almost flat growth.
- Fertiliser output recorded a degrowth during the month under review.
Cumulatively, the growth in the eight core sectors during April-September this fiscal slowed down to 3.3 percent as against 5.4 percent in the same period last fiscal.
Healthy growth in key sectors would have positive implications on the index of industrial production as these eight segments account for about 41 percent to the total factory output.
Also Read: India's Fiscal Gap Narrows In September
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