New Delhi, Feb 20 The combined index of the country’s eight core infrastructure industries increased by 4 per cent in January this year compared to the corresponding figure for the same month of the previous year, propelled by the strong performance of the steel and cement sectors, according to official data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Friday.
The production of electricity, fertilisers, and coal also recorded positive growth in January.
Steel production recorded a robust 9.9 per cent increase in January, while the cement sector clocked a double-digit 10.7 per cent growth as demand for these products surged due to large government investments in big-ticket infrastructure projects. There was also an increase in construction activity during the month.
Coal production increased by 3.1 per cent in January, while electricity generation rose by 3.8 per cent.
Fertiliser production also posted a 3.7 per cent growth during the month as rabi sowing has recorded an increase during the current month and farm incomes have risen on the back of a better performance of the agricultural sector.
However, crude oil and natural gas production recorded a decline during the month, while petroleum refinery production remained unchanged during January as compared to the index in the same month of the previous year.
The final growth rate of the eight core industries for December 2025 was revised to 4.7 per cent. The cumulative growth rate of the index during April to January, 2025-26, now works out to 2.8 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year.
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, fertilisers, 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) and are a good indicator of the overall industrial growth in the economy.
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