Industrial growth still weak, to improve in H2: Rajan

PTI Updated - November 13, 2013 at 07:56 PM.

The Reserve Bank today said the 2 per cent industrial growth in September is disappointing, but hoped that the economic situation would improve in the second half of the fiscal on the back of good monsoon and exports.

“Yesterday’s data suggested still weak growth as the IIP numbers came below expectations...the IIP numbers have disappointed a little, partly because of the volatile capital goods sector,” RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said at press meet.

The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) rose 2 per cent from a dismal 0.43 per cent in August, mainly on account of better output of the power and mining sectors.

Rajan said: “I am still hopeful that the good monsoon and the associated pick up in consumption, the very healthy exports, and the strong growth in the power sector should lead to stronger growth numbers for the second half of the fiscal year“.

The government will release the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) data for the second quarter later this month.

India’s economic growth has slowed to a four—year low of 4.4 per cent due to various global and domestic factors.

Last month, the Reserve Bank had lowered its growth projection for the country to 5.5 per cent from the earlier estimate of 5.7 per cent.

Published on November 13, 2013 14:26