Lockdown effect: Core sector output crashes record 38.1% in April

Infra segment hurt the most as cement and steel output tank by more than 80 per cent

The output of India's eight core sectors shrank by a record 38.1 per cent in April after a nine per cent contraction in March, as factories remained shut down nationwide and production came to a virtual halt amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Updated figures released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Friday showed core sector output in 2019-20 dropped to a marginal 0.4 per cent as broad-based decline gripped most sectors due to economic slowdown and later the lockdown. In the previous year, growth at stood at 4.4 per cent.

The core sector contraction in April represented the worst performance