Industrial growth stagnating: RBI

The Macroeconomic and Monetary Developments 2014-15 update is released by Reserve Bank of India along with its first bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2014-15. As per the macroeconomic update, the industrial growth is stagnating. The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) showed no increase during April-January 2013-14, compared with 1.0 per cent growth in the corresponding period of the previous year. This stagnation in growth over two years reflects subdued investment and consumption demand. This has resulted in contraction in production of capital goods and consumer durable in the current year. Output of basic metals, fabricated metal products, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, food products, gems and jewellery and communication equipment recorded a decline. Growth of core industries, which provide key inputs to the industrial sector, remained sluggish at 2.4 per cent during April-January 2013-14 compared to a growth of 6.9 per in the corresponding period a year ago. This sluggishness, in part, reflects contraction in natural gas and crude oil production and slow growth in all other infrastructure industries, except electricity.