Factory output grows 22.4% in Mar
NEW DELHI: Industrial production growth entered positive territory after a gap of two months with a record 22.4% rise in March this year, mainly due to the low-base effect and good show by manufacturing, mining and power sectors.
The manufacturing sector— which constitutes 77.63% of the index of industrial production (IIP)— grew by 25.8% in March 2021, as per the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Wednesday.
The mining sector output too grew 6.1% in March, while power generation increased by 22.5%.
Industrial production had plunged 18.7% in March last year following the Covid-19 outbreak and remained in the negative zone till August 2020.
With the resumption of economic activities, factory output posted a rise of one per cent in September. The IIP had grown by 4.5% in October.
In November 2020, the factory output fell 1.6%, and it again entered the positive territory by growing 2.2% in December 2020.
The IIP had recorded a contraction of 0.9% in January and 3.4% in February this year.