NEW DELHI, April 28 (Reuters) – India’s industrial output expanded 4.1% in March, its slowest pace in five months, as softer factory output and weak power generation weighed on growth, government data showed on Tuesday, amid worries over the Middle East conflict.
Economists polled by Reuters expected industrial output to grow by 3.7% compared to a revised growth of 5.1% a month earlier. Industrial output growth slowed to 0.5% in October last year.
The March reading is the first after the Iran war broke out following U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28, sparking energy shortages in the world’s third‑largest crude importer.
KEY NUMBERS
* Manufacturing output grew 4.3% year-on-year in March against a revised 5.9% growth in February.
* Electricity generation rose 0.8% year-on-year in March against a 2.3% increase a month earlier.
* Mining activity increased 5.5% year-on-year in March against a 3.1% rise in February.
* Output of consumer durables, including cars and phones, grew 5.3% year-on-year in March against a revised 7.1% increase a month earlier.
* Output of consumer non-durables, such as food items and toiletries, rose 1.1% year-on-year in March against a revised 0.5% fall in the previous month.
* Capital goods output rose 14.6% year-on-year in March against a revised 12.4% increase in February.
* Industrial output in April-March grew 4.1% as compared to an increase of 4% a year earlier.
(Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh; Editing by Sonia Cheema)
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