At 2.2% in January, core sector output up for second straight month

The output of eight core sectors of the economy managed to rise for a second straight month in January, growing by 2.2 per cent as key sectors like refinery products and electricity continued to see slow growth.

Core output had contracted for four months till November as a broad-based decline gripped most sectors. As a result, core sector output in the April-January period of the current fiscal year (FY20) dropped to 0.6 per cent, compared to 4.4 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The data released by the commerce and industry ministry on Friday showed output