"I don't think we can draw conclusion from one month's figure, but overall services and industry are likely to grow between 9-10 per cent this fiscal... perhaps close to 10 per cent," he said at the Economic Editors Conference in New Delhi.
This would mean that 83 per cent of the Indian economy will grow between 9-10 per cent, he said, commenting on the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) figures released earlier in the day.
The IIP for September decelerated to 6.4 per cent from a high of 12 per cent recorded in the year-ago period.
Chidambaram said during April-September there was only a slight deceleration in IIP growth. The index grew by 9.2 per cent in the six month period compared to 11.1 per cent in the corresponding period last year.
Referring to industrial performance in the first five months of this fiscal, the Finance Minister attributed deceleration in the growth in manufacturing output to poor performance of the consumer durables sector.
Though the growth of manufacturing has slightly decreased to 10.3 per cent during April-August, the growth in capital goods at 21.3 per cent during the period is suggestive of significant addition to industrial capacity, he added.
"Industry has been the driver of our economic growth and external sector has remained robust," he said, indicating economic growth will continue to be investment-driven, with the rate of investment growing to more than 35 per cent this year from 22.9 per cent in 2001-02.
