Six infrastructure industries once again dipped in October, registering 3 per cent growth, against 6.7 per cent in October 2002. The six industries are crude, petroleum refinery products, coal, electricity, cement and steel.According to an official release, there was dip in the infrastructure sector in the first seven months of this fiscal as well, with growth at 3.9 per cent against 6.5 per cent in April-October 2002. The six infrastructure industries have a weightage of 26.68 per cent in the index of industrial production.Even though other economic indicators have been showing buoyancy, infrastructure industries have registered lower growth rates in every month in the current fiscal, except once in September.In fact, the trend is visible in all infrastructure industries. Finished steel came down from 10.8 per cent in April-October 2002 to 7 per cent the first seven months this fiscal; cement from 9.3 per cent to 5.3 per cent; electricity from 3.9 per cent to 2.8 per cent; coal 5.5 per cent to 3 per cent; petroleum refinery products 6.5 per cent to 5.2 per cent; and crude petroleum 4.5 per cent to marginal negative growth.
