The output of eight core sectors rose 4.4 per cent in September on account of healthy performance by segments like natural gas, refinery products and cement, official data showed on Friday.

The eight infrastructure sectors of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity had grown by 0.6 per cent in September 2020, as per the data released by the commerce and industry ministry.

Core sectors' growth stood at 11.5 per cent in August this year.

The eight core industries comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Production of natural gas, refinery products, and cement increased by 27.5 per cent, 6 per cent and 10.8 per cent in September 2021, respectively.

However, crude oil production declined by 1.7 per cent in September year-on-year.

The growth rate of these infrastructure industries during April-September 2021-22 stood at 16.6 per cent, as against a contraction of 14.5 per cent in the year-ago period.

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