Core sector grows by 4.5% in Feb

Six core infrastructure industries grew by a healthy 4.5 per cent in February against a meagre 1.9 per cent in the year-ago period, reflecting that recovery in industrial production is on a firm wicket.

Six key sectors-- crude, petroleum refinery products, coal, electricity, cement and finished steel -- showed growth of 5.3 per cent in April-February 2009-10 against 2.9 per cent in the same period last year, an official statement said on Friday.

These sectors have a weight of 26.68 per cent in the country's total industrial output. Electricity generation grew by 7.3 per cent in the month under review against 0.6 per cent in the year ago period.

Crude oil output, too, registered growth of 4 per cent in the month under review after contracting by 6.2 per cent in February last year.

Coal production grew by 6.8 per cent, a tad higher than 6 per cent registered in February 2009.

Finished steel and cement expanded by 0.9 per cent and 5.8 per cent, respectively, in the penultimate month of the current fiscal against 2.4 per cent and 8.3 per cent last year. Petroleum refinery products recorded expansion of 0.8 per cent against 0.5 per cent last year.