Infrastructure output: Eight core industries growth slows to 3.4% in January

The combined Index of 8 core industries, that is, coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity -- stands at 191.8 in January, 2017, which was 3.4 % higher compared to the index of January, 2016. Its cumulative growth during April to January, 2016-17 was 4.8 %.

New Delhi: The combined Index of 8 core industries, that is , coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity -- slowed down to a five-month low of 3.4 percent in January mainly due to contraction in output of refinery products, fertiliser and cement.

The growth rate of eight infrastructure sectors of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity was 5.7 percent in January 2016.

Infrastructure sectors' expansion in January this year is the lowest since August 2016, when the segments had recorded a growth of 3.2 percent.

It is also lower than that of 5.6 percent seen in December 2016.

The core sectors, which contribute 38 percent to the total industrial production, expanded 4.8 percent in April - January this fiscal compared to 2.9 percent growth in the same period previous financial year, according to the data released by the commerce and industry ministry today.

The output of refinery products, fertiliser and cement contracted by 1.5 percent, 1.6 percent and 13.3 percent, respectively during the month under review.

Both coal and electricity expanded at 4.8 percent in January as against 7.9 percent and 11.6 percent expansion respectively in January 2016.

However, crude oil, natural gas and steel output reported positive growth.

Crude oil output grew by 1.3 percent in January 2017 against 4.7 percent contraction in the same month of previous year.

Similarly, natural gas and steel output rose by 11.9 percent and 11.4 percent respectively during the month under review.