India’s industrial output grew at 0.1% in February, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said in a press release on Friday. The cumulative growth rate for the April 2018 to February 2019 period stood at 4%, it added.
Industrial output had grown at 1.7% in January.
The mining sector grew at 2% in February compared to the same month in 2018, the manufacturing sector at minus 0.3% and the electricity sector at 1.2%, the ministry said. Only 10 out of the 23 industry groups registered positive growth in February. The industry group “manufacture of wearing apparel” showed the highest positive growth rate at 19.3%, while the manufacture of machinery and equipment fell by 12.8%.
As per a use-based classification, the growth rate of primary goods in February was 1.2%, and of infrastructure/construction goods at 2.4%. However, capital goods registered minus 8.8% growth, while the production of intermediate goods declined by 4.9%.
Retail inflation
Retail inflation rose from 2.57% in February to 2.86% in March, the ministry said in another press release. Consumer Price Index inflation in rural areas in March was 1.8%, and in urban areas 4.10%.
Food prices, on the other hand, rose by just 0.3% in March compared to the corresponding period in 2018. However, Consumer Food Price Index inflation had declined by 0.73% in February this year.
In rural areas, food prices declined by 1.46% in March. However, in urban areas, they rose by 3.47%.
Prices of goods and services related to education rose by 7.58% in March, and prices of meat and fish by 6.55%. On the other hand, prices of sugar and confectionery declined by 6.12%, and of fruits by 5.88%.
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