Manufacturing powers GDP growth to 8.9 per cent in Q1

New Delhi, Sept 29 (UNI) Powered by manufacturing and services, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the first quarter of 2006-07 has reached 8.9 per cent, as against 8.5 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year.

While agriculture, forestry and fishing remained stagnant at 3.4 per cent, manufacturing (11.3 per cent against 10.7 per cent) and services like trade, hotels, transport and communication did exceedingly well, taking the overall GDP growth in Q1 to just touch about nine per cent.

However, electricity, gas and water supply remained slow at 5.4 per cent against 7.4 per cent, while construction is showing signs of fatigue at 9.5 per cent against 12.4 per cent.

The financing, real estate and business services were marginally up to 8.9 per cent from 8.8 per cent.

Among the services secors, the key indicators of railways, namely the net tonne kilometers and passenger kilometers have shown growth rates of 10.7 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively, during Q1 of 2006-07.

In the transport and communication sectors, the production of vehicles, cargo handled at major ports, cargo handled by the civil aviation, passengers handled by the civil aviation and the total stock telephone connections registered growth rates of 36.2 per cent, 6.4 per cent, 12.7 per cent, 32.2 per cent and 48.9 per cent respectively during the first quarter of this year over the similar period last year.

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