The industrial growth slipped to 0.6 per cent in February this year. The decline is attributed mainly to contraction in power generation and mining output and poor performance of manufacturing sector.

Factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production had grown by 4.3 per cent in February last
year.

For the April-February period of 2012-13 fiscal, the industrial production growth is at 0.9 per cent, down from 3.5 per cent in the same period of 2011-12.

The manufacturing sector, which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, grew by meagre 2.2 per cent in February, as against 4.1 per cent in the same month of 2012.

There was a contraction of 3.2 per cent in power output in February this year compared to a growth of 8 per cent in
the same month of 2012.

Overall, 13 of the 22 industry groups in manufacturing sector have shown positive growth during February.