Cement, steel push core sector growth to 5.3% in February

The output of the eight core sectors in the country registered a growth rate of 5.3 per cent in February, slowing down from 6.1 per cent posted in the previous month.
 
Core sectors, comprising coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity, contribute about 40 per cent to total industrial production.
 
The growth in the core sectors in February was boosted by a sustained rise in cement production, up nearly 30 per cent, dwarfing growth in all other sectors. Four sectors performed poorer as compared to a month earlier. The data issued by the