The core sector growth rate shot up to 4.5 percent in February on the back of recovery in the output of electricity, coal and crude oil. The growth rate was 1.3 percent in February 2013. It was 1.6 percent in January.
Electricity generation grew at the rate of 10.4 percent. It had shrunk by 3.7 percent in February 2013. Steel production growth came in at 4.8 percent. Refinery products generation expanded at the rate of 3.2 percent. Output of coal and crude oil grew 0.1 per cent and 1.9 per cent. Coal production had contracted at the rate of (-) 6.1 percent and crude oil output had fallen (-) 4 percent in February 2013.
Cement production growth, however, slowed in February to 2.3 percent and natural gas output shrunk at the rate of 4.4 percent.
Despite the recovery in the month of February, however, the cumulative growth since April remains a low 2.6 percent against 6.4 percent in April-February 2012-13.
The eight core industries-fertilisers, cement, steel, electricity, crude oil, coal, petroleum refinery products and natural gas-have a combined weight of about 38 per cent in the Index of Industrial Production.
