The Country’s infrastructure sector output rose 4.5 percent in February from 1.3 per cent in the same month a year ago, mainly driven by higher electricity, coal and crude oil. The Index of eight core industries grew 1.6 per cent in January this year.
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.
However, the core sector growth was slowed down to 2.6 per cent during the April-February period of this financial year compared with 6.4 per cent in the same period of 2012-13. Electricity generation grew exponentially by 10.4 per cent in the month under review as against (-) 3.7 per cent in February 2013.
Output of coal and crude oil registered a growth of 0.1 per cent and 1.9 per cent against (-) 6.1 per cent and (-) 4 per cent, respectively. Steel production recorded a marginal growth of 4.8 per cent, while the expansion in cement production slowed to 2.3 per cent. Natural gas registered a negative growth of 4.4 per cent and refinery products generation expanded 3.2 per cent.