New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) The combined index of India’s eight core infrastructure industries increased by 1.7 per cent during April this year, compared to the same month of the previous year, with cement, steel and electricity recording a positive growth, according to data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on Wednesday.

The final growth rate of the eight core industries for March was observed at 1.2 per cent. The cumulative growth rate of the index of eight core industries during April to March, 2025-26 now works out 2.7 per cent as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

Steel production recorded a 6.2 per cent increase in April over the same month of the previous year, while the cement sector clocked a robust 9.5 per cent growth during the month as demand for these products stayed buoyant due to large government investments in big ticket infrastructure projects such as highways, ports and railways.

Electricity generation increased by 4.1 per cent in April, compared to the same month of the previous year.

However, coal production decreased by 8.7 per cent during the month while crude oil output declined by 3.9 per cent.

The production of natural gas fell by 4.3 per cent in April this year compared to the same month last year while the output of refinery products fell 0.5 per cent during the month.

Besides, fertiliser production declined by 8.6 per cent during the month as the supply of raw material was hit due to the Middle East conflict.

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) and are a good indicator of the overall industrial growth in the economy.

–IANS

sps/na