Business News : During the April-August period of the current financial year, the production of iron ore and manganese ore increased. According to data released by the Ministry of Mines, during the said period, the production of iron ore increased by 7.4 percent to 116 million tonnes i.e. 11.6 crore tonnes. In the same period of the previous financial year, 108 million tonnes (10.8 crore tonnes) were produced. 
The ministry said in a statement that during the April-August period, the production of manganese ore grew 15.4 per cent to 1.5 MT as against 1.3 MT in the previous fiscal. Iron ore accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the total production of the mineral in terms of value. 

In the non-ferrous metals sector, primary aluminium production rose to 17.49 lakh tonnes during April-August from 17.26 lakh tonnes in the same period a year ago. "During the said period, production of refined copper rose by 5.8 per cent to 2.02 LT from 1.91 LT," the ministry said.

India is the world's second largest aluminium producer, one of the top 10 producers of refined copper and the world's fourth largest iron ore producer. The continued growth in iron ore production in the current financial year reflects strong demand conditions in user industries, primarily steel. With the rise in aluminium and copper, these figures indicate continued strong economic activity in sectors such as energy, infrastructure, construction, automotive and machinery, a statement issued by the government said.