Eight Core Industries Growth Rises 1.7% in April 2026, Cement, Steel, Power Lead Expansion

New Delhi: India’s Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) recorded a provisional growth of 1.7 per cent in April 2026 compared to the corresponding month last year, driven mainly by strong performance in cement, steel and electricity sectors.

According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, production of cement increased by 9.4 per cent, steel by 6.2 per cent and electricity generation by 4.1 per cent during April 2026.

The eight core industries — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity — together account for 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

The ministry said the final growth rate of the Index of Eight Core Industries for March 2026 stood at 1.2 per cent, while cumulative growth during April–March 2025-26 was recorded at 2.7 per cent compared to the previous financial year.

Among the sectors showing contraction in April 2026, coal production declined by 8.7 per cent, crude oil by 3.9 per cent, natural gas by 4.3 per cent, refinery products by 0.5 per cent and fertiliser production by 8.6 per cent year-on-year.

The report noted that steel remained one of the strongest-performing sectors, with cumulative annual growth of 9.5 per cent during 2025-26, while cement recorded cumulative growth of 8.7 per cent.

Electricity generation also maintained positive momentum with cumulative annual growth of 1 per cent during the financial year.

According to the monthly index data, the overall core industries index stood at 166.0 in April 2026 on a provisional basis. Steel recorded an index level of 232.8, cement 223.7 and electricity 224.6 during the month.

The ministry stated that data for April 2026 is provisional and may undergo revision based on updated inputs from source agencies.