Core sector output rises 0.1% in January

India’s eight core sectors recorded a meagre 0.1% rise in output in January, propped up by a 5.1% rise in electricity, 2.7% growth in fertilisers and 2.6% growth in steel production, even as the other five sectors contracted. The core sectors had recorded a marginal growth of 0.2% in December, as per updated data, compared to a 1.3% contraction estimated earlier. Core sectors have an almost 40% weightage in the index of industrial production, and economists expect overall industrial output to record less than 1% growth in January.