Core sector growth at three-month high of 7.4% in December: Govt data

Production of eight infrastructure sectors rose at a three-month high of 7.4 per cent in December 2022 against 4.1 per cent in the same month of previous year on a better show by coal, fertiliser, steel, and electricity segments, according to the official data released on Tuesday.

Crude oil output, however, contracted by 1.2 per cent in December last year.

The production of eight key sectors rose by 5.7 per cent in November 2022.

The growth rate of eight infrastructure sectors -- coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity -- stood at 8 per cent in April-December this fiscal as against 12.6 per cent during the same period last fiscal.

The production of coal rose by 11.5 per cent, fertiliser by 7.3 per cent, steel by 9.2 per cent, and electricity by 10 per cent in December 2022 compared to a year ago.

Core sector or key infrastructure industries, which have a 40.27 per cent weight in the overall index of industrial production (IIP), also have a bearing on industrial production data.