India's core industries output grows 1.7% in April

New Delhi [India], July 21 (ANI): India core industries comprising eight sectors reported 1.7 per cent growth in June 2025, down from 5 per cent in the same month of 2024, data released on Monday by Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed.

On a month-on-month basis, the expansion in June is relatively up, when these key sectors grew by 1.2 per cent.

Commerce ministry data showed the production of steel, cement and refinery products recorded positive growth in June 2025.

The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) measures the combined and individual performance of production of eight core industries -- Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity.

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

The cumulative growth rate of ICI during April to June, 2025-26 is 1.3 per cent (provisional) as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

The summary of the Index of Eight Core Industries is given below:

Coal - Coal production (weight: 10.33 per cent) declined by 6.8 per cent in June, 2025 over June, 2024. Its cumulative index declined by 0.3 per cent during April to June, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.

Crude Oil - Crude Oil production (weight: 8.98 per cent) declined by 1.2 per cent in June, 2025 over June, 2024. Its cumulative index declined by 2.0 per cent during April to June, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.

Natural Gas - Natural Gas production (weight: 6.88 per cent) declined by 2.8 per cent in June, 2025 over June, 2024. Its cumulative index declined by 2.5 per cent during April to June, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.

Petroleum Refinery Products - Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 28.04 per cent) increased by 3.4 per cent in June, 2025 over June, 2024. Its cumulative index remained constant during April to June, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.

Fertilizers - Fertilizer production (weight: 2.63 per cent) declined by 1.2 per cent in June, 2025 over June, 2024. Its cumulative index declined by 3.8 per cent during April to June, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.

Steel - Steel production (weight: 17.92 per cent) increased by 9.3 per cent in June, 2025 over June, 2024. Its cumulative index increased by 7.0 per cent during April to June, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.

Cement - Cement production (weight: 5.37 per cent) increased by 9.2 per cent in June, 2025 over June, 2024. Its cumulative index increased by 8.4 per cent during April to June, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.

Electricity - Electricity generation (weight: 19.85 per cent) declined by 2.8 per cent in June, 2025 over June, 2024. Its cumulative index declined by 2.0 per cent during April to June, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.

Although the year-on-year (YoY) growth in core output improved slightly to 1.7 per cent in June 2025 from 1.2 per cent in May 2025, it remained decidedly tepid, with as many as five of the eight sectors recording a contraction in their output in the month, said Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist, ICRA Ltd. While an elevated base weighed upon coal output, excess rains in the latter half of June 2025 impacted electricity generation.

Encouragingly, the output of the cement and steel sectors rose by a robust 9.2-9.3 per cent in June 2025, although this was supported by a favourable base in the case of the former. The growth in volumes of these segments has been quite healthy in Q1 FY2026, which implies that the construction sector is poised to record a robust GVA growth in the quarter. Given the subdued growth in core output, ICRA expects the IIP growth to print at 1.5-2.5 per cent in June 2025, added Nayar.

Release of the index for July, 2025 will be on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. (ANI)

Disclaimer: This news article is a direct feed from ANI and has not been edited by the News Nation team. The news agency is solely responsible for its content.