Core sectors’ output grows for 3rd consecutive month, increases to 11.6% in August

Last year in August, the industries had contracted by 6.9%. The eight core industries comprise 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production.

A worker stands in front of steel tubes at the Steel Authority of India Ltd in Rourkela, Odisha | Representational image | Dhiraj Singh | Bloomberg

New Delhi: Eight core industries, including coal, crude oil, and steel, posted a growth of 11.6 per cent in August on a yearly basis, as per government data released on Thursday.

The eight core industries — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity — comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

The industries had contracted by 6.9 per cent in August 2020.

It is for the third month in a row that the core sectors have posted growth.

As per the data, the production of coal, natural gas, refinery products, steel, cement and electricity increased in August 2021 over the corresponding period of last year.

On the other hand, output of crude oil and fertiliser industries declined.