Infra industries growth dips to 4.3% in July

New Delhi, Sept 10 (UNI) Decline in production growth of steel, cement, crude oil and electricity pulled down overall growth of six core infrastructure industries to 4.3 per cent in July from 7.2 per cent in the same month a year ago.

However, coal and petroleum refinery products proved saviours recording better growth, Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a statement today.

Production of finished carbon steel, which had grown by a robust 10.8 per cent in July 2007, plummeted to just 1.9 per cent the corresponding month this year.

The growth in the first four months of current fiscal was down to 3.8 per cent from 6.8 per cent in the April-July period of previous year.

Cement production grew by 8.8 per cent in July as compared with 9.4 per cent recorded in the comparable month last year, while growth in April-July was 6.5 per cent, down from 7.7 per cent in the matching period a year ago.

Crude production plunged to record a negative growth of three per cent in July from slightly less than one per cent at 0.9 per cent in same month the previous year.

The decline during April-July period was minus 0.9 per cent from minus 0.3 per cent in the comparable period of 2007.

Electricity generation registered a growth of 4.5 per cent in July, down three per cent from 7.5 per cent in July, 2007, contributing to decline in growth to just 2.6 per cent in April-July 2008 from 8.1 per cent in these four months of 2007.

Coal production went up recording a growth of 5.5 per cent in the month, more than four per cent higher than 1.1 per cent registered in July 2007. The growth in first four months of the fiscal was 7.7 per cent, up from less than one per cent (0.8) recorded in April-July 2007.

Petro refinery production recorded a robust growth of 11.8 per cent in July, 2008 as compared with 4.7 per cent in the year-ago month.

However, the four-month growth declined to 5.4 per cent from 11 per cent recorded in April-July, 2007.

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