India's core sector growth falls to 18-month low of 2.6% in December

Economists blamed an unfavourable base effect, along with a sudden slowdown in the growth of cement production and electricity output, for bringing down the overall growth rate of the core sectors

Growth in the eight core sectors of the economy continued to tumble, crashing to an 18-month low of 2.6 per cent in December, down from the 3.4 per cent growth in November.

After hitting a three-month high of 4.8 per cent in October, growth has crashed as electricity and fertilizer output dwindled and refinery products turned negative.

Data released by the commerce and industry ministry on Friday showed that the eight segments — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity — cumulatively grew 4.8 per cent in April-Nove­mber of the current financial year, remaining higher than the