New Delhi, March 20 (IANS). The combined index of India’s eight major infrastructure sectors (core sectors) has increased by 2.3 percent on an annual basis in the month of February.
According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Friday, a sharp increase in the production of cement, steel, fertilizer, coal and electricity was recorded during February.
Steel production increased by 7.2 percent compared to last year, while the cement sector saw a strong growth of 9.3 percent. The reason for this is believed to be the increasing investment by the government in big infrastructure projects, due to which the demand for these products has increased.
Coal production also increased by 2.3 percent, while electricity generation increased by 0.5 percent.
Fertilizer production recorded a growth of 3.4 percent, which was attributed to increase in sowing of Rabi crops and improvement in farmers’ income due to better performance of the agriculture sector.
However, a decline was seen in crude oil, natural gas and petroleum refinery production. The decline in crude oil production has been attributed to the maturing of old oil fields of ONGC and Oil India. At the same time, refinery production depends on market demand and available stock.
The final growth rate of eight core industries for January 2026 was 4.7 percent. At the same time, the overall growth rate during April to February 2025-26 was 2.9 percent as compared to the same period last year.
This index of eight core industries includes coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and power. They account for about 40.27 percent of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and are considered important indicators of overall industrial growth in the country’s economy.
–IANS
DBP
