India’s eight core industries recorded a growth of 1.7% year-on-year in April 2026, improving from the revised 1.2% expansion seen in March, according to provisional government data released on Tuesday.The rise in core sector output was led by stronger production in cement, electricity and steel, while sectors such as coal, crude oil, natural gas and fertilisers remained weak.
Cement production grew 9.4% in April compared with 4.7% in March, while electricity generation rose 4.1% against 0.8% in the previous month. Steel output expanded 6.2%, though lower than March’s 7.7% growth.
On the other hand, coal production contracted 8.7% year-on-year in April, worsening from a 4% decline in March. Fertiliser output fell 8.6%, although the pace of decline moderated sharply from March’s 24.6% contraction.Crude oil production declined 3.9%, while natural gas output slipped 4.3%. Petroleum refinery products also remained in negative territory with a 0.5% decline during the month.The Index of Eight Core Industries measures the performance of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity. These sectors together account for 40.27% of the weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).Also Read: HSBC’s Bhandari expects two RBI rate hikes as India heads into a tricky FY27For FY26, the cumulative growth rate of the eight core industries stood at 2.7% compared with the previous financial year.
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