Industrial growth up 8.4% in Apr-Dec

Led by a strong performance from the manufacturing sector, industrial growth shot up to 8.4 per cent during April-December this fiscal.

Growth rate stood at 7.9 per cent during December, 2004 against 7.4 per cent in December, 2003.

Industrial growth during April-Dec of 2003-04 had stood at 6.6 per cent.

According to Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production, the manufacturing sector during the first nine months of current fiscal grew by 9 per cent as against 7.2 per cent during the same period of the previous fiscal.

The sector grew by 8.8 per cent during December 2004 as against 7.8 per cent during the same period of 2003.

The period also saw the electricity sector growing by 6.4 per cent as against a mere 3.5 per cent during the same period last fiscal.

The December figure for the sector, according to estimates, stood at 4.4 per cent as against 5.4 per cent during the year-ago period.

The mining sector grew by 4.8 per cent during the first nine months as against 4.3 per cent during April-December 2003-04.