India's November industrial output up 3.8 percent

Industrial activity, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), registered a healthy growth of 3.8 percent during November from a deceleration of 1.3 percent during the corresponding month of 2013.

The data is a healthy increase from a negative 4.2 percent growth during October. The IIP had subsequently increased by 2.5 percent in September 2014. In August 2014, the industrial growth stood at 0.4 percent.

The cumulative growth for April-November 2014-15 stood at 2.2 percent while the figure for the corresponding period of the previous year stood at 0.1 percent.

The gain in November came mainly due to the higher output of electricity, manufacturing and mining sectors.

In November, the electricity sector grew by 10 percent from 6.3 percent in the corresponding month of the previous year.

Manufacturing sector picked up by three percent from a drop of 2.6 percent in November, 2013.

The mining sector rose 3.4 percent from 1.6 percent increase in the corresponding month of 2013.

Manufacturing of basic, capital and intermediate goods showed healthy growth. Production of basic goods grew by seven percent, while capital goods was up 6.5 percent and intermediate goods rose by 4.3 percent.

Overall, 16 out of the 22 industry groups in the manufacturing sector have shown positive growth during the month under review.

Segment-wise, growth was witnessed in stainless steel (26.5 percent), sugar (49.5 percent), leather garments (40.3 percent), air conditioners (53.8 percent), scooters and mopeds (30.7 percent), commercial vehicles (20 percent), cotton cloth (23.8), rice (23 percent) and ayurvedic medicaments (35.3 percent).

Segment-wise, high negative growth was reported in ship building and repairs (-41.1 percent), wood furniture (-41.1 percent), sugar machinery (40.9 percent), generators (-28.6 percent), antibiotics (-20.7 percent), cigarettes (-23.3 percent), lubricating oil (-27.1 percent) and telephone instruments including mobile phones and accessories(-67.3 percent).