Output of core infrastructure industries rose 1.7 per cent in November compared to the same month in 2012 when the rate of growth was 5.8 per cent. The output of the eight sectors — coal, crude oil, oil refinery, natural gas, steel, cement, electricity and fertilisers — had contracted by 0.6 per cent in October.
The pick-up this November compared to last year came from mainly higher electricity and cement production, official data released on Tuesday showed.
The eight core industries account for just under 38 per cent of total industrial output captured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
Electricity generation increased by just under 6 per cent. Cement production was 4.2 per cent higher. Steel (alloy and non-alloy) production grew at the rate of 3.9 per cent. Coal production grew at the rate of 2.3 per cent. Since April, coal production was up 1.5 per cent. The output of natural gas shrunk 11.3 per cent. The sector has contracted by 15.6 per cent since April over the corresponding period of the previous year. Petroleum refinery production moderated by 5 per cent.
