Industrial output continues decline in May; govt withholds headline number

All the components of the IIP - mining, manufacturing and electricity - saw contraction on a smaller magnitude as compared to the previous month

India’s industrial production contracted for the third consecutive month in May, shrinking 34.7 per cent, after a historic fall of 57.6 per cent in April as the Covid-19-induced lockdown almost froze economic activities. However, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) had begun shrinking even before, falling by 18.3 per cent in March, which saw only seven days of shutdown.

With the lockdown in force for most of April and May, the government on Friday again released only index numbers for industrial production, and the numbers cited above are derived from those.

The government clarified that after reporting zero production in April, subsequent