NEW DELHI: India’s infrastructure industries grew 4.7% in April led by increased output of coal, natural gas and cement. Core sector had grown 4.4% in March and 2.6% in April last year.Official data released by commerce and industry ministry on Thursday showed a cumulative growth of 4.3% in the core sector in 2017-18 compared with 4.8% in FY17. The eight infrastructure sectors of coal, crude oil , natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity , constitute 40.27% of the total industrial production.The pickup in the pace of growth of the core sector and non-oil merchandise exports, as well as the favourable base effect suggest a mild recovery in the industrial growth in April 2018, led by mining and manufacturing, said Aditi Nayar, principal economist at ICRA.While coal output rose 16%, cement production was up 16.6% after having slowed in March. Production of natural gas and fertiliser increased 7.4% and 4.6%, respectively. “Most of the higher growth rates come with the advantage of a negative base effect,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at CARE.The steady growth in fertilizers may be ascribed to companies building up stock before the sowing season which starts in June, according to Sabnavis.The pace of growth of steel output and electricity generation slowed to 3.5% and 2.2%, respectively in April. The two had expanded 4.7% and 6% in in March.“A favourable base effect boosted the core sector growth to 4.7% in April. The underlying trends are favourable with a sequential dip in growth in only two of the eight constituents, and only one sector displaying a contraction, amid double digit expansion in cement and coal,” said Nayar.Crude oil output, which has been declining for the last five months, fell 0.8% in April. Refinery production increased 2.7% compared with 1.1% rise in March.