The growth of India's eight key infrastructure sectors jumped to a 13-month high of 6.3 per cent in August on account of expansion in coal, steel and cement production, according to official data released on Monday.
The core sectors' output growth was 3.7 per cent in the previous month of July. It was (-) 1.5 per cent in August last year. Earlier, the same pace of growth at 6.3 per cent was recorded in July 2024.
During April-August of this fiscal year, the eight infrastructure sectors expanded by 2.8 per cent as compared to a rise of 4.6 per cent in the same period last year. Coal, steel, and cement production rose to 11.4 per cent, 14.2 per cent and 6.1 per cent, respectively, during August, the data showed.
Refinery products, fertiliser and electricity output rose by 3 per cent, 4.6 per cent, and 3.1 per cent, respectively, during the month under review. However, crude oil and natural gas output recorded a negative growth.
Commenting on the data, ICRA Chief Economist Aditi Nayar said that aided by a low base, the year-on-year growth in core output expectedly improved to a 13-month high. ICRA expected the IIP (index of industrial production) growth to be 4.5-5.5 per cent in August, particularly aided by a turnaround in the performance of mining output, which has seen a contraction every month during April-July this year.
See also: Wholesale inflation in FY26 may rise further: Experts
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