MUMBAI, OCT 18: At least 44 Indian industry sectors, including automobiles and cement, have reported moderate to strong year-on-year output growth in the first half of 1999/2000 (April-March), a survey by a leading industry body said on Monday.The survey of 120 sectors, conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), showed that 21 sectors reported "excellent" growth during the April-September period compared to the same period a year ago.The output for the automotive sector rose 12 per cent in April-September 1999 compared with seven per cent in the same period last year.Cement output grew 20.4 per cent in the first half of the financial year compared with 5.4 per cent growth in the same period in 1998. The survey showed that the steel sector output rose 6.5 per cent in the first half of 1999/2000 compared to a mere one percent growth in the corresponding period last year. The telecom cables sector output grew 80 per cent in the April-September period compared with an 8.5 per cent gain inthe same period a year ago.The survey was based on responses from CII members and 87 affiliated associations, which account for nearly 65 per cent of total industrial output. The Central Statistical Organisation's recent data showed that industrial output grew six per cent.
