Growth of eight key infra industries plunges to an eight-month low of 0.5%

Output growth of eight key infrastructure industries plunged to an eight-month low of 0.5% year-on-year in April, down from an upwardly revised figure of 4.6% in March.

The production of Cement, Coal, Steel, Electricity, and Natural Gas recorded positive growth in April, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said.

The slowdown was primarily due to declines in the output of refinery products and fertilisers, along with the impact of a high base.

Coal production increased by 3.5% in April compared to the same month last year, with its cumulative index increasing by 5.1% during April to March 2024-25 over the corresponding period of the previous year.

Cement production increased by 6.7% in April, and its cumulative index increased by 6.3% from April to March.

Steel production increased by 3% in April, while Electricity generation increased by 1%.

Natural Gas production increased by 0.4% and Petroleum Refinery production declined by 4.5% in April.

On the other hand, Crude Oil production declined by 2.8% in April. Its cumulative index declined by 2.2% during April to March 2024-25 compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

The eight core industries account for 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), and thus have a significant impact on the index, which is used to gauge the performance of the industrial sector.