The eight core infrastructure industries registered an output growth of 3.5 per cent in August, lower than the 4.4 per cent growth witnessed in the corresponding period last year.
This is reflected in the latest data released by the Commerce Ministry here on Tuesday.
For the April-August 2011 period, the eight core industries recorded 5.3 per cent against 6.1 per cent during the corresponding period in 2010.
Among the eight core industries, only electricity generation registered an impressive growth of 8.9 per cent in August 2011, after having grown a measly 1.6 per cent in the year-ago period. Coal production, registered a negative growth of 15.3 per cent in August compared with 1.0 per cent growth in the same month last year.
Growth of steel production declined to 7.7 per cent in the month under review compared with 10.8 per cent during the same period last year.
Growth in crude oil slumped to 1.6 per cent in August compared with 15.2 per cent in the year-ago period.
Natural gas production contracted by 5.3 per cent in August against the positive growth of 11.9 per cent in the comparable period last year.
However, petroleum refinery production rebounded from a negative growth of 2.3 per cent in August 2010 to 3.9 per cent in August 2011.
Cement output grew by 7.2 per cent against 1.6 per cent expansion in August last year.
Fertiliser production registered a 4.3 per cent increase in August, after 5.7 per cent decline in the same period last year.