Just in: April IIP at 6.3% as per new series

The newly introduced Index of Industrial Production (IIP) with an updated base of 2004-05 starting from the month of April, has expanded at 6.3% pace in April to 167.8 as compared to the level in the month of April 2010. The annual growth for the period April-March 2010-11 stands at 8.2% over the corresponding period of the previous year. However, under the old series, annual industrial output growth in April was 4.4%, lower than the general expectation of around 5%.
According to the data released by Central Statistics Office, the IIP for the Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity sectors for the month of April 2011 stands at 129.1, 178.0 and 146.0 respectively, with the corresponding growth rates of 2.2%, 6.9% and 6.4% as compared to April 2010.
As per Use-based classification, the growth rates in April 2011 over April 2010 are 7.3% in Basic goods, 14.5% in Capital goods and 3.4% in Intermediate goods. The Consumer durables and Consumer non-durables have recorded growth of 3.8% and 2.1% respectively, with the overall growth in Consumer goods being 2.9%, the statement showed.

India Inc raises $2.7 billion in foreign borrowings

As rate domestic cost of borrowing begins to rise amidst continued monetary tightening by the central bank, India Inc is increasingly looking to overseas sources of funds. In the month of January, Indian companies raised over $2.7 billion through External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) and Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds, showed the data compiled by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Out of the total amount, around $1.93 billion were raised through the automatic route, which does not require the approval of either the central bank of government. A total of 35 companies availed foreign borrowings under automatic route. The remaining sum of around $773 million was raised by four companies under the approval route.

The biggest funding was availed by the government controlled Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) that raised $400 million through the ECBs for modernizing its plants in India. Another major borrowing came from the construction and Infrastructure company SP Jammu Udhampur Highway that brought in $ 350 million via ECBs for various road projects being undertaken by it.

Indian companies are allowed to raise up to $500 million from overseas sources in a financial year under the automatic route for specified purposes. In case the objective for raising loans is not covered explicitly under the automatic route, the central bank takes a decision under the approval route. Often when the domestic rate cycle is on the uphill journey, as is the case presently, the foreign borrowings of India Inc increase as foreign funds become cheaper in many cases.