Core sector output grows faster at 5.6% in December

Core sector industrial production in India expanded at a faster pace of 5.6 per cent in December 2016, against the 4.9 per cent growth recorded in November 2016, but slower than the 6.6 per cent growth in October, preliminary figures released by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) showed.

Core sector industrial production had grown at a slower pace of 0.9 per cent in December 2015.

Output in the eight core sector industries comprising coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity, which carry nearly 38 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), expanded at a cumulative 5.0 per cent in April-December this fiscal.

Production of coal, which has a weight of 4.38 per cent in IIP, increased by 4.4 per cent in December 2016 while cumulative production of coal during April- December 2016-17 increased by 2.0 per cent year-on-year.

Production of crude oil (weight of 5.22  per cent in IIP) declined by 0.8 per cent in December 2016 while cumulative production of crude oil during April-December 2016-17 declined by 3.2 per cent.

Production of natural gas (weight of 1.71 per cent in IIP) declined by 0.01 per cent in December 2016 while cumulative production of coal during April-December 2016-17 declined by 3.3 per cent.

Petroleum refinery production (weight of 5.94 per cent in IIP) increased by 6.4 per cent in December 2016 while cumulative production at refineries during April-December 2016-17 increased by 7.8 per cent year-on-year.

Production of fertiliser (weight of 1.25 per cent in IIP) declined by 4.7 per cent in December 2016 while cumulative production of fertilisers during April-December 2016-17 increased by 3.4 per cent.

Production of steel (weight of 6.68 per cent in IIP) increased by 14.9 per cent in December 2016 while cumulative production of steel during April-December 2016-17 increased by 8.9 per cent over.

Production of cement (weight of 2.41 per cent in IIP) declined by 8.7 per cent in December 2016 while cumulative production of steel during April-December 2016-17 increased by 2.8 per cent.

Electricity generation (weight of 10.32 per cent in IIP) increased by 6.0 per cent in December 2016 while cumulative production of steel during April-December 2016-17 increased by 5.4 per cent over the corresponding period of the previous year.