While key sectors such as fertilisers, steel, cement, and petroleum refinery products registered positive growth, the gains were offset by declines in coal, crude oil, natural gas, and electricity.
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The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) for October 2025 remained unchanged at 162.4 (provisional) compared to the same month last year, data released by the Commerce & Industry Ministry said on Thursday.
While key sectors such as fertilisers, steel, cement, and petroleum refinery products registered positive growth, the gains were offset by declines in coal, crude oil, natural gas, and electricity.
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Coal production registered a sharp decline of 8.5 per cent in October 2025 compared to the same month last year.
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The sector continued to face pressure on a cumulative basis as well, with production falling 2 per cent during the April-October 2025-26 period over the corresponding months of the previous year.
Crude oil output fell by 1.2 per cent in October 2025, reflecting ongoing challenges in extraction and supply operations.
The cumulative index for the sector also remained negative, recording a decline of 1.1 per cent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year.
The natural gas production saw a decline of 5 per cent in October 2025 compared to the same month last year.
The cumulative performance showed a similar trend, with output contracting by 3.1 per cent between April and October 2025-26.
Petroleum refinery production continued to support overall industrial output, rising 4.6% in October 2025.
Despite the monthly improvement, cumulative growth for April-October 2025-26 was relatively modest at 0.4 per cent, indicating subdued refining activity earlier in the year.
The fertiliser sector posted a strong performance, growing 7.4 per cent in October 2025 over the previous year, one of the highest among the eight industries.
Cumulative production for the April-October period increased by 0.7 per cent, showing steady but moderate expansion.
Steel production recorded a robust rise of 6.7 per cent in October 2025, supported by healthy demand from construction and manufacturing sectors.
On a cumulative basis, the sector demonstrated strong momentum with a 10.3 per cent jump during April-October 2025-26, the highest among all core industries.
Cement production grew by 5.3 per cent in October 2025, reflecting continued activity in infrastructure and housing projects.
The sector also maintained solid cumulative growth, expanding 7.3 per cent in the first seven months of the fiscal year.
Electricity generation declined sharply by 7.6 per cent in October 2025 compared to October 2024, making it one of the weakest-performing sectors for the month.
The cumulative index for April-October 2025-26 showed a marginal decline of 0.1 per cent, highlighting subdued demand or generation constraints.
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