Infrastructure industry growth up 9.5%

Business Standard, New Delhi
The index of six infrastructure industries registered a growth of 9.5 per cent by rising to 221.6 in November 2006, 5.7 per cent more than in November 2005. During the April-November 2006-07 period, six core-infrastructure industries registered a growth of 7.8 per cent, as against 5.2 per cent during the corresponding period of the previous year. The infrastructure index has a combined weightage of 26.7 per cent in the index of industrial production (IIP). Crude petroleum production (weightage of 4.17 per cent in the IIP) rose by 10.1 per cent in November 2006, compared to a negative growth rate of 8.5 per cent during the same period in the previous year. Petroleum refinery production, having weightage of 2 per cent in the IIP, registered a growth of 16.4 per cent in November last year, compared to growth of 1.5 per cent in November 2005. Refinery production grew by 13.5 per cent during the April-November 2006-07 period. Coal, cement and finished steel also grew by 4.9 per cent, 11.5 per cent and 9 per cent in November 2006 respectively. Their production during April-November 2006-07 also grew by 4.8 per cent, 10.2 per cent and 7.6 per cent respectively. Electricity generation, with weightage of 10.17 per cent in the IIP, registered a growth of 8.8 per cent in November last year, compared to a growth rate of 3.4 per cent in November 2005. Its generation grew by 7.3 per cent during April-November 2006-07, compared to an increase of 4.9 per cent during the same period of 2005-06.