Core Sector Index Up By 5% In September

Buoyed by a 17. 8 per cent growth in the cement sector, the index of infrastructure industries grew by 5 per cent during September this year, as against 6.5 per cent in the same period last year and 0.8 per cent in August.

According to the latest data released by the commerce and industry ministry today, the index for six infrastructure industries went up to 158.5 during April-September this year compared to 155.7, a rise of 1.8 per cent over the first half of last fiscal. During the same six-month period in 2000-01 the index had posted a 7 per cent increase over the previous year.

Apart from cement, the electricity sector also performed better than in the last year with a growth rate of 4.1 per cent in September 2001 compared to 2.2 per cent in the corresponding period last year. In the first half, however, the sector posted a growth of 3.1 per cent, compared to 3.4 per cent in the first six months last year.

The performance of the cement sector in the first six months of the current fiscal surpassed last year's level with a growth of 4.9 per cent, compared to 3.1 per cent in the first half of 2000-01.

Cement production was estimated at 87.64 lakh tonne during September this year compared to 74.40 lakh tonne in the corresponding month last year.

Crude production was also up marginally with 0.8 per cent growth in production during September 2001, compared to 0.6 per cent in the corresponding period last year.

In the first half of the fiscal, however, production dipped 3.1 per cent compared to a 1.1 per cent decrease in the corresponding period in 2000-01.

The petroleum refinery products sector, however, continued to perform poorly with production decreasing by 2 per cent in September this year.

The sector had posted a 25.2 per cent growth in the same month last year. During the first half of 2001-02, the sector posted a 3.7 per cent growth, compared to 29.1 per cent in the corresponding period last fiscal.

The finished steel sector also continued to languish with a growth of 0.5 per cent in the first half of the fiscal, as against 11.1 per cent in the corresponding period last year.

During September, the sector posted a 5.6 per cent increase in production, compared to 10 per cent in the same month last year.

The coal sector posted a 9.6 per cent increase in September this year. Its performance in the first half of the last fiscal was better with a growth of 8.2 per cent compared to 1.4 per cent rise in production during April-September this year.