Slowdown: India's industrial growth falls
 |
Continuing its dismal performance, industrial growth fell further to 1.9 per cent in September, mainly due to poor output from the manufacturing sector.
Growth in factory output, as measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), stood at 6.1 per cent in September last year, as per the latest data.
This development may prompt RBI to halt rate hikes in its policy review next month. Prime Minister's economic advisory panel chief C Rangarajan described the dip in factory output in September as "disappointing", while Chief Economic Adviser Kaushik Basu wanted the Reserve Bank if India (RBI) to have a "rethink" on its policy of monetary tightening.
"The conventional policy of interest rates... now you do have to rethink on that," Basu said while referring to the increase in policy rates by the central bank.
RBI has hiked key policy rates 13 times since March 2010 to tame rising prices.
Click NEXT to read more...
Image: A worker winds aluminium and iron wires used to making electrical power lines at a factory on the outskirts of Jammu.
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters.
Slowdown: India's industrial growth falls
|
|
|
During the April-September period this fiscal, IIP growth stood at 5 per cent, as against 8.2 per cent in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the IIP growth figure for August this year has been revised downward to 3.59 per cent from the provisional estimate of 4.1 per cent.
Click NEXT to read more...
Image: A worker sits inside a crane is silhouetted against the setting sun at the construction site of a commercial complex in Noida.
Photographs: Parivartan Sharma/Reuters.
Slowdown: India's industrial growth falls
|
|
|
The output of the manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, grew by only 2.1 per cent in September, compared to 6.9 per cent expansion in the same month last year, according to official data released on Friday.
Click NEXT to read more...
Image: People transport iron rods on a horsecart to a construction site of a residential complex on the outskirts of Jammu.
Photographs: Mukesh Gupta/Reuters.
Slowdown: India's industrial growth falls
|
|
|
Mining output declined by (-)5.6 per cent in September this year, as against a growth of 4.3 per cent in the same month last year.
Capital goods production witnessed negative growth of (-)6.8 per cent in September in comparison to a growth of 7.2 per cent in the corresponding month of 2010.
Click NEXT to read more...
Image: A worker climbs to fasten iron rods together at the construction site of a high-rise building in central Mumbai.
Photographs: Vivek Prakash/Reuters.
Slowdown: India's industrial growth falls
|
|
|
Growth in production of intermediate goods slowed to 1.5 per cent during the month under review from 4.6 per cent in September, 2010.
Consumer non-durables output declined by (-)1.3 per cent during the month in comparison to a growth of 5.8 per cent in the corresponding month of the previous year.
However, electricity production improved, witnessing a growth of 9 per cent in September this year, as against growth of a mere 1.8 per cent in September, 2010.
Image: Security personnel stand guard outside the 1450 MW underground riverbed power project at the Sardar Sarovar dam in Kavadia.
Photographs: Amit Dave/Reuters.
Slowdown: India's industrial growth falls
|
|
|
Growth in industrial output in the first half this fiscal also witnessed a marked slow down to 5 per cent in the April-September period from 8.2 per cent in the corresponding period last fiscal.
During the first half of 2011-12, mining output dipped to (-)1 per cent compared to 7.2 per cent.
Furthermore, growth in manufacturing output slowed to 5.4 per cent from 8.8 per cent in the corresponding six-month period a year ago.
Click NEXT to read more...
Image: Consumer durables output grew by 8.7%.
Slowdown: India's industrial growth falls
|
|
|
The IIP numbers for June have also been revised upward toa final figure of 9.45 per cent from the earlier estimate of 8.8 per cent.
The fall in the industrial production numbers, as shownby the latest data, suggests continued sluggishness in theeconomy, experts said.
Click NEXT to read more...
Image: A woman carries a bundle of cut sugarcane on her head as farmers harvest a field outside Gove village in Satara district.
Photographs: Vivek Prakash/Reuters.
Slowdown: India's industrial growth falls
|
|
More |
India Inc had attributed the slowdown to rising interest rates, which have led to an increase in the cost of borrowing, thus hindering fresh investment.
The Reserve Bank has hiked interest rates 13 times since March, 2010, to tame inflation.
Headline inflation has been above the 9 per cent-mark since December last year and stood at a 13-month high of 9.78 per cent in August before moderating slightly to 9.72 per cent in September.
Image: Women workers carry an urn full of concrete at a road construction site in Chandigarh.
Photographs: Ajay Verma/Reuters.
READ
RECENT
EMAILED
COMMENTED
India Business News | Indian Stock Market News | Bollywood Movies | Indian Cricket News | India News | India Abroad Person of the Year 2011
© 2012 Rediff.com - Investors - Advertise - Disclaimer - Privacy - Careers - Feedback | India Abroad weekly
this
Users
Comment
article