Industrial production declined 2.3 per cent in March as compared to a rise of 5.5 per cent during the corresponding month in 2008, mainly on account of poor performance by the manufacturing sector.

For 2008-09, growth in industrial output was a meagre 2.4 per cent, down from a high of 8.5 per cent during the previous financial year, according to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) figures released by the government on Tuesday.