Belying predictions of a slow- down in the wake of successive interest rate hikes, India's industrial output soared by a blistering 13.6 per cent in April over the same period last year, on robust growth in the manufacturing sector, Press Tust of India (PTI) reported on Tuesday.

The Index of Industrial Production grew by 13.6 percent as against 9.9 percent in April 2006 as manufacturing rose at 15.1 percent in the month, one of the fastest growth rates in a decade, PTI said.

Manufacturing sector had grown by 11 percent in the same month last year, indicating that even the base was high, the news agency reported.

Electricity generation went up by 8.7 percent against 5.9 percent, but overall core sector growth stood at 7.4 percent.

Mining remained a drag on the index, rising only 3.4 percent, the same as in the corresponding period last year.

Source: Xinhua