Key infrastructure sectors' growth decelerates to 6.1% in July

The growth in production of eight key infrastructure sectors slowed down to 6.1% in July this year due to a decline in the output of crude oil and natural gas, according to official data released on Friday.

The growth rate, however, is up from 5.1% in June.

The growth of core sectors -- coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity -- was 8.5% in July 2023.

During April-July this fiscal, the output of core sectors rose by 6.1% against 6.6% in the same period last fiscal.

The eight core sectors contribute 40.27% to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), which measures overall industrial growth.

Crude oil and natural gas output contracted by (-) 2.9% and 1.3%, respectively, in July.