Outsmarting all infrastructure segments, cement sector growth nearly doubled to 9.7 per cent in April-December 2002, due to robust growth in construction, housing and road sectors.

The cement industry's impressive growth was well above the 5.4 per cent overall growth noticed by the infrastructure sector for the review period, said the pre-Budget Economic Survey.

The cement sector growth stood at 4.9 per cent during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

The sector was followed by steel (8.1 per cent), coal (5.1 per cent), and petroleum and electricity generation at 3.7 per cent each.

Cement industry recorded above nine per cent growth for the first time since 1997-98, when it grew 9.1 per cent.

The core segments, which are key inputs to infrastructure sector, had a weight of 26.7 per cent in the overall index of industrial production recorded a growth of 5.4 per cent as compared to 2.5 per cent during the corresponding period of last fiscal.

Both cement and steel posted a combined weight of 7.1 per cent in the IIP.

PTI