New Delhi: The current fiscal appears to have begun on an optimistic note with the Index of Industrial Production showing a marginal increase of 0.3 per cent to 2.9 per cent in April over the previous year.

The Quick Estimates of IIP for April released by Central Statistical Organisation show the increase was mainly due to good performance by electricity and mining sectors, even as the manufacturing sector continued to reel in slowdown.

Growth in electricity generation was 4.9 per cent as compared to a mere 1.5 per cent in April 2001, while increase in mining was 4.6 per cent against 3.4 per cent in the same period of the last year.

Manufacturing sector ticked 2.5 per cent growth in the first month of this fiscal as compared to 2.7 per cent in the corresponding period a year ago.

PTI