New Delhi, Sept. 22 -- India's core infrastructure industries grew at their fastest pace in more than a year, with output rising 6.3% in August compared with a year earlier, provisional data from the commerce ministry showed on Monday.

The uptick marked the quickest pace in 13 months, buoyed by strong gains in coal, fertilizers, and refinery products.

The eight core sectors-coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement, and electricity-together make up over two-fifths of the country's industrial output. Growth had slowed to 3.7% in July, while August last year saw a contraction of 1.5%.

Two industries, crude oil and natural gas, continued to post declines, though the scale of contraction eased compared to ...