India's infrastructure production rises by 4% in January

India's infrastructure production rose 4% in January compared to the same period last year, thanks to strong growth in cement and steel production, according to a report released by the government on Friday.

The index which measures the activity in eight sectors, and represents 40% of industrial production in the country, rose at a revised rate of 4.7% on an annual basis.

KEY NUMBERS

* The cement?output increased 10.7% on an annual basis in January, compared with a 13.7% increase that was?revised in December.

* Steel production rose 9.9% year-on?year in January, compared with a revised 10.1% growth month?ago.

* Electricity production increased 3.8% on an annual basis in January, compared with a 6.3% increase in December.

* Crude Oil Production fell 5.8% on an annual basis in January, compared with a decline of 5.6% in the previous month.

* The natural gas production fell 5% year-on?year in January, compared with a decline of 4.4% in December.

* Fertiliser output grew 3.7% on an annual basis in January, compared with a 4.1% increase in December.

* The coal production in January increased by 3.1% compared to a 3.6% increase year-on year?in December.

* The output of refinery products was unchanged in January, compared with a 1% decline year-on-year?in December.

* The infrastructure output increased by 2.8% in April-January compared to a growth rate of 4.5% as reported a year earlier. (Reporting and editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar; Nikunj Ohri)

(source: Reuters)