Core sectors growth up 2.9% in January

In October 2015, the sectors had witnessed a growth of 3.2 per cent.

The growth in the eight core sectors jumped to a three-month high of 2.9 per cent in January due to sharp pick-up in coal, cement and electricity generation.

The eight core industries - coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity - comprising nearly 38 per cent of India's total industrial production had grown at 2.3 per cent in January last year.

In October 2015, the sectors had witnessed a growth of 3.2 per cent.

Coal, cement and electricity generation grew by 9.1 per cent, 9 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively, during the month under review from 0.9 per cent, 0.2 per cent and 3.3 per cent in January 2015.

Refinery production too grew by 4.8 per cent from 4.7 per cent last year.

However crude oil, natural gas and steel recorded dipped last month, according to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The cumulative growth of core sectors in April-January period of 2015-16 came in at 2 per cent, lower than 5.3 per cent in the 10 months of the previous financial year.

Further in January this year, growth of fertiliser production declined by 6.2 per cent in the month under review from 7.1 per cent in the same month last year.