After last fiscal's double-digit expansion, industrial production picked up more steam to grow by 17.6 per cent in April, boosting the prospects of achieving 8.5 per cent economic growth in 2010-11.The increase in output was due to a robust showing by the manufacturing sector and a low-base effect, caused by the global economic slowdown.Manufacturing, which accounts for around 80 per cent of the Index of Industrial Production or IIP, expanded by 19.4 per cent in April, with capital goods growing by 72.8 per cent and consumer durables by 37 per cent.The April figure is almost equal to the 20-year-high output of 17.7 per cent achieved in December 2009.However, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said his appetite is infinite and he expected the industry to do even better in April.While the double-digit growth has strengthened the case for stimulus rollback, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia cautioned that withdrawal should not be quickened.Encouraged by today's figures, Prime Minister's economic advisor C Rangarajan said, the Indian economy is well-poised to achieve the projected growth rate of 8.5 percent in the current fiscal. He said, the industrial growth can be equal to the growth rate last year and, therefore, taking that into account and if agriculture performs reasonably well during the year, one should hope to get a growth rate close to 8.5 per cent.India Inc also expressed the hope that the robust 17.6-per cent industrial growth will help the economy grow by 8.5 per cent in this fiscal, even though factory output growth may moderate after June.The Confederation of Indian Industry said the stronger-than-expected IIP numbers haveraised hopes that the economy will do well in the current fiscal year.PHD Chambers of Commerce & Industry too said the IIP numbers have proved that economic fundamentals are strong and the country is gradually catching up with the rate of growth that existed before the economic meltdown.