India's core industries grow over 12 pct in October: ministry

NEW DELHI, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- India's eight core industries, namely cement, coal, crude oil, electricity, fertilizers, natural gas, refinery products and steel, registered a 12.1 percent growth in October compared to the same month last year.

The eight core industries comprise nearly 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), said a statement issued by the federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The cumulative growth rate of Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) during April-October stood at 8.6 percent (provisional) compared to the corresponding period of last year, the statement said.

As per official figures released by the ministry, cement production increased 17.1 percent in October compared to a year ago, coal production 18.4 percent, crude oil 1.3 percent, electricity generation 20.3 percent, fertilizer production 5.3 percent, natural gas production 9.9 percent, and steel production 11 percent.