Eight core industries record 0.5% growth in April 2025

The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) expanded by 0.5 per cent in April this year compared to the same period a year ago, according to a government release on Tuesday. The index measures the production of eight core industries and constitutes about two-fifths of the country’s industrial production.

Five of India’s core sectors – coal, natural gas, steel, cement, and electricity- recorded expansion during the last month, according to the provisional data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Cement production increased by 6.7 per cent, coal production



rose by 3.5 per cent, steel production witnessed an uptick of 3 per cent, electricity generation was up by one per cent, and natural gas production rose marginally by 0.4 per cent on an annual basis.

Conversely, petroleum refinery products declined by 4.5 per cent, fertilizer production slipped by 4.2 per cent, while crude oil production declined by 2.8 per cent in comparison with April, 2024.

The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production.