The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI), which measures output across coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity, had recorded a revised growth of 1.2% in March 2026. The eight sectors together account for 40.27% of the weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
Among the eight sectors, cement production posted the sharpest rise at 9.4% year-on-year in April, followed by steel at 6.2% and electricity generation at 4.1%.
However, output contracted across coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products and fertilisers during the month, reflecting continued weakness in parts of the energy and commodity chain.
Coal production fell 8.7% in April from a year earlier, while crude oil output declined 3.9%. Natural gas production dropped 4.3%, petroleum refinery products slipped 0.5% and fertiliser production contracted 8.6%.
The government said the final growth rate for the core sector index in March 2026 stood at 1.2%.
For the full financial year 2025-26, the cumulative growth rate of the eight core industries stood at 2.7% compared with the previous year.
During the fiscal year, steel production registered the strongest cumulative growth at 9.5%, followed by cement at 8.7%. Electricity generation grew 1% over the same period.
On the other hand, cumulative output of crude oil and natural gas each declined 2.8% during April-March 2025-26. Coal output fell 0.5%, while refinery products and fertilisers each recorded marginal contractions of 0.1% during the year.