India’s core sector output, measured by the Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI), grew by 1.8 per cent year-on-year in November, driven by higher production of cement, steel, fertiliser and coal, government data released on Monday showed.
Coal production increased by 2.1 per cent in November 2025 compared to the same month last year. However, the cumulative coal index declined by 1.4 per cent during April–November 2025–26 over the corresponding period of the previous year, according to Commerce Ministry data.
Steel production rose by 6.1 per cent in November on a year-on-year basis. Its cumulative index recorded a strong 9.7 per cent increase during April–November 2025–26, the data showed.
Cement output registered a sharp rise of 14.5 per cent in November, while its cumulative index increased by 8.2 per cent during the April–November period of the current financial year.
Fertiliser production also grew by 5.6 per cent in November, with its cumulative index rising 1.3 per cent during April–November 2025–26, the data added.
The eight core industries, which include coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity, together account for 40.27 per cent of the weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
In contrast, natural gas production declined by 2.5 per cent in November 2025 compared to November 2024. Its cumulative index fell by 3.0 per cent during April–November 2025–26.
Meanwhile, India’s overall industrial production growth slowed to 0.4 per cent in October, the Ministry of Statistics said. The slowdown was attributed to fewer working days due to festivals, including Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath.
Industrial growth, as measured by the IIP, had accelerated to 4 per cent in September and August, up from 3.5 per cent in July, after rising from 1.5 per cent in June, the ministry noted.
— IANS
