New Delhi: According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce on Friday, the combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) recorded a provisional growth of 4.6% in January 2025 compared to the same month in the previous year.
Key sectors such as cement, refinery products, coal, steel, fertilizers, and electricity contributed to this positive growth in January 2025.
The ICI tracks the collective and individual performance of eight core industries: coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement, and electricity. These industries together account for 40.27% of the total weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
The final growth rate for the ICI in October 2024 stood at 3.8%. For the period from April to January 2024-25, the cumulative growth rate of the ICI is 4.4% (provisional) compared to the same period last year.
Here is a summary of the performance of the eight core industries:
- Coal: Coal production, which holds a weight of 10.33%, rose by 4.6% in January 2025 compared to January 2024. The cumulative index for coal production grew by 6.0% from April to January 2024-25.
- Crude Oil: Crude oil production (weight: 8.98%) decreased by 1.1% in January 2025 over the same month last year. The cumulative index for crude oil production showed a decline of 2.0% for the period from April to January 2024-25.
- Natural Gas: Natural gas production (weight: 6.88%) saw a decline of 1.5% in January 2025 compared to January 2024. However, its cumulative index increased by 0.5% from April to January 2024-25.
- Petroleum Refinery Products: Petroleum refinery production (weight: 28.04%) surged by 8.3% in January 2025 compared to January 2024. The cumulative index for the sector rose by 3.3% during April to January 2024-25.
- Fertilizers: Fertilizer production (weight: 2.63%) grew by 3.0% in January 2025 over the same month in 2024. The cumulative index for fertilizers showed an increase of 1.7% from April to January 2024-25.
- Steel: Steel production (weight: 17.92%) registered a growth of 3.7% in January 2025 compared to January 2024. The cumulative index for steel production rose by 5.9% during April to January 2024-25.
- Cement: Cement production (weight: 5.37%) saw a significant rise of 14.5% in January 2025 over January 2024. The cumulative index for cement production increased by 4.6% from April to January 2024-25.
- Electricity: Electricity generation (weight: 19.85%) grew by 1.3% in January 2025 compared to January 2024. The cumulative index for electricity generation showed a 5.0% increase during April to January 2024-25.
This robust performance in the core sectors reflects a positive industrial growth trajectory for the country.
