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NEW DELHI, Jan. 18

REFLECTING the general slowdown in the economy, the infrastructure index of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has registered a dismal two per cent growth during the first nine months of the current fiscal, as against 6.8 per cent during April-December 2000.

Of the six industries that constitute the index, production of crude petroleum registered a decline of 1.9 per cent, with output falling from 244.70 lakh tonnes (l.t.) in April-December 2000 to 240.15 l.t. in April-December 2001. This is even lower than the production of 242.95 l.t. recorded during April-December 1999.

In the case of refined petro products, there has been a marginal 4.2 per cent increase in production from 715.28 l.t. earlier to 745.64 l.t.

Compared to this, output had registered a 25.9 per cent increase during April-December 2000 over the previous year's corresponding level of 568.10 l.t.

The high production growth of last year - the effect of which has tapered off since then - was mainly due to the commissioning of Reliance Petroleum Ltd's Jamnagar Refinery.

Among other infrastructure industries, production of coal has risen from 207.5 million tonnes (m.t.) in April-December 1999 to 218.7 m.t. and 226.4 m.t. in the first nine months of 2000 and 2001, respectively, indicating a reduction in growth rates from 5.4 per cent to 3.5 per cent.

There has been a similar growth decline for finished steel (from 9.2 per cent in 2000 to minus 0.3 per cent in 2001) and electricity (from 4.8 per cent to 2.8 per cent).

Finished steel output has risen from 207.478 l.t. in April-December 1999 to 226.62 l.t. and 226.029 l.t. in subsequent years, respectively, with the corresponding figures for electricity generation being 355.703 billion units (kilo-watt hours), 372.738 billion units and 383.118 billion units.

Within electricity, production from hydel sources during April-December 2001, at 57.639 billion units, was lower than the preceding two years' corresponding levels of 59.814 billion units and 63.224 billion units.

This is a clear indication of the poor water levels in the major reservoirs of the country.

However, the lower hydel production was offset by the corresponding increases in generation from thermal stations (from 282.859 billion units to 300.717 billion units and 311.183 billion units) and nuclear plants (from 9.62 billion units to 12.207 billion units and 14.296 billion units).

The only infrastructure sector not to have suffered a growth decline in 2001 has been cement, the production of which has gone up from 726 l.t. in 1999 to 741.50 l.t. in 2000 (up 2.1 per cent) and 788.97 l.t. in 2001, registering a respectable growth rate of 6.4 per cent.

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