NEW DELHI, March 2 -- India's industrial output expanded at an annual rate of 4.8% in January, slowing after two months of strong growth fuelled by festive demand. Factory output had grown 5.2% in the same period a year ago.

Data released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation on Monday showed that industrial output growth has been robust since November, growing at 7.2% and at an upwardly revised 8% in December, respectively.

That was supported by more than 8% growth in manufacturing in those months. In January, manufacturing sector output grew 4.8%. In the first 10 months of this fiscal, output of this sector grew 4.9%.

The strongest overall industrial output growth so far this year has been in December, after an a...