-The Hindu Sharper contraction likely in Index of Industrial Production. Output at India’s core sector contracted by 6.5% in March, Commerce Ministry data show, reflecting the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent nationwide lockdown. The index of eight core sector industries, which form 40% of the weight of items included in the broader Index of Industrial Production (IIP), reflected a contraction in key parts of the economy in March, according...

-The Hindu Two-wheelers continue to slide as virus adds to woes In a sign of reviving rural demand, tractor players M&M and Escorts posted a double-digit growth in sales in February 2020. M&M’s farm equipment sector (FES) said its domestic sales in February 2020 stood at 21,877 units, up 21% from the year-ago month. Exports, though, dropped 22% to 683 units, taking total tractor sales during the month to 22,561 units. This is a...

-PTI * Output of core infrastructure industries shrank by 5.2% in September 2019 as seven of eight sectors witnessed negative growth * During the April-September period, the growth of core industries fell to 1.3% against 5.5% in the year-ago period NEW DELHI: Output of core infrastructure industries shrank by 5.2% in September 2019 as seven of eight sectors witnessed negative growth, according to official data released on Thursday. The eight core sectors had expanded...

-The Indian Express The August numbers mark the first contraction in core infrastructure output since April 2019, pointing to the continuing weakness in demand conditions. New Delhi: The growth of eight infrastructure sectors contracted 0.5 per cent in August following broad-based deterioration in output across as many as five sectors, including cement and electricity. But for a turnaround in refinery products — the largest constituent of the core sector — and...

-The Indian Express The eight core sector industries - coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity - had expanded by 7.3 per cent in July last year. During April-July, the eight sectors grew by 3 per cent compared to 5.9 per cent in the same period the previous year. Growth of eight core industries slowed down to 2.1 per cent in July as against 7.3 per cent...