Growth in factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), was 6.2 per cent in May 2011, according to the official data released today.
Meanwhile, the industrial growth rate for April, 2012 was revised to 0.9 per cent, from 0.1 per cent reported earlier.
For the first two months of the current fiscal, April-May, the industrial growth is sharply lower at 0.8 per cent, compared to 5.7 per cent in the year-ago period.
According to the data, the capital goods output declined 7.7 per cent in May, as against a growth of 6.2 per cent in the same month last year.
Mining output contracted by 0.9 per cent in May, as against growth of 1.8 per cent in the same month a year ago.
The manufacturing sector which constitutes over 75 per cent of the index, did not perform well as it grew a meagre 2.5 per cent, as against 6.3 per cent in May 2011.
The slowdown in industrial production is likely to put pressure on the Reserve Bank to cut lending rates at its quarterly policy review on July 31.
Consumer Durables production showed a faster growth rate of 9.3 per cent in May, as compared to 5.1 per cent in the same month last year.
The consumer non-durables segment output growth remained flat at 0.1 per cent in May, as against 9 per cent in the same month last year.
Power generation witnessed a slower growth of 5.9 per cent during May, compared to 10.3 per cent in the same month a year ago.
In all, 12 of the 22 industry groups in the manufacturing sector have shown positive growth during May as compared to the same month a year ago. MORE
