India's core sector growth contracts in November by 1.5 per cent

New Delhi: India’s core sector output has contracted for the third straight month to 1.5 per cent in November from a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday. On a cumulative basis, the index of core industries remained flat from April to November 2019 compared to a growth of 5.1 percent in the previous year.

The index of eight core industries comprises coal, crude oil, natural gas, steel, cement, electricity, fertilizer and refinery products. The summary of the index is given below: 

1. Coal: Coal production (weight: 10.33per cent) declined by 2.5 per cent in November 2019 over November 2018. Its cumulative index declined by 5.3 per cent during April to November 2019-20 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

2. Crude Oil: Crude Oil production (weight: 8.98 per cent) declined by 6.0 per cent in November 2019 over November 2018. Its cumulative index declined by 5.9 per cent during April to November 2019-20 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

3. Natural Gas: The Natural Gas production (weight: 6.88per cent) declinedby 6.4 per cent in November 2019 over November 2018. Its cumulative index declined by 3.1 per cent during April to November 2019-20 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

4. Refinery Products: Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 28.04per cent) increased by 3.1 per cent in November 2019 over November 2018. Its cumulative index declined by 1.1 per cent during April to November 2019-20 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

5. Fertilizers: Fertilizers production (weight: 2.63 per cent) increased by 13.6 per cent in November 2019 over November 2018. Its cumulative index increased by 4.0 per cent during April to November 2019-20 over the corresponding period of previous year.

6. Steel: Steel production (weight: 17.92per cent) declined by 3.7 per cent in November 2019 over November 2018. Its cumulative index increased by 5.2 per cent during April to November 2019-20 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

7. Cement: Cement production (weight: 5.37per cent) increased by 4.1 per cent in November 2019 over November 2018. Its cumulative index declined by 0.02 per cent during April to November 2019-20 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

8. Electricity: Electricity generation (weight: 19.85per cent) declined by 5.7per cent in November 2019 over November 2018. Its cumulative index increased by 0.7 per cent during April to November 2019-20 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

Notably, the index for December 2019 will be released on January 31, 2020.