Core sector growth slows down to 0.9% in December

Feb 1 Growth of the country's eight core sector industries slowed to 0.9 per cent in December 2015, from 3.2 per cent in December 2014. But the December numbers are better than those in November 2015, when core sector output had contracted 1.3 per cent. According to Commerce Ministry data, production of crude oil declined 4.1 per cent, output of natural gas fell 6.1 per cent, and steel output declined 4.4 per cent in December 2015. But coal production increased 6.1% in December, output of petroleum refinery products increased 2.1%, cement production rose 3.2%, electricity generation increased 2.7%, and fertilizer production jumped 13.1 % in December.