Core sector growth down @ 3.6%

Infrastructure growth slowed down to 3.6 per cent in December 2004 from 7.8 per cent a year ago, owing to fall in petroleum and steel output.

The core sector, comprising crude oil, refinery, coal, cement, electricity and steel, grew by 5.4 per cent during the first nine months of this fiscal compared to 5.8

per cent during the same period last fiscal, according to government data released on Monday.