Core sector data signals recovery
India’s eight infrastructure sectors inched closer to expansion in September as the contraction narrowed sharply to 0.8%, signalling an uneven return to normal manufacturing activity since the lifting of the nationwide lockdown on 1 June.The core sector, which constitutes 40% of the index of industrial production (IIP), shrank in September for the seventh consecutive month, with only coal (21.2%), steel (0.9%), and electricity (3.7%) registering positive growth, while the performance of fertilizers (-10.6%) and natural gas (-0.3%) worsened, data released by the industry department showed.The IIP may grow slightly in September with the narrowing of the contraction of core sector output and the growth in auto production and non-oil exports, s.....