India's Core Industries Index Shows 3.8% Growth In March 2025

New Delhi, Apr 22 (KNN) India's Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) registered a 3.8 percent growth in March 2025 compared to the same month last year, according to provisional data released today.

Six out of the eight core sectors recorded positive growth, with Cement showing the strongest performance at 11.6 percent.

The Eight Core Industries, which comprise 40.27 percent of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), posted a cumulative growth rate of 4.4 percent during the fiscal year 2024-25 (April to March) compared to the previous year.

The final growth rate for December 2024 was confirmed at a robust 5.1 percent.

Steel production, which carries a weight of 17.92 percent in the index, increased by 7.1 percent in March 2025 over the same month last year, with its cumulative index rising by 6.7 percent for the fiscal year.

Electricity generation, having the second-highest weight in the index at 19.85 percent, grew by 6.2 percent, while its cumulative annual growth stood at 5.1 percent.

The Fertiliser sector demonstrated strong performance with an 8.8 percent increase in March 2025 compared to March 2024.

Coal production showed moderate growth at 1.6 percent, while Petroleum Refinery Products registered a marginal increase of 0.2 percent.

However, two sectors recorded declines in March 2025. Crude Oil production fell by 1.9 percent compared to March 2024, with its cumulative index showing a 2.2 percent decline for the fiscal year.

Natural Gas experienced a significant contraction of 12.7 percent, with its cumulative index decreasing by 1.2 percent during the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The cement industry emerged as the standout performer with 11.6 percent growth in March 2025, contributing to a strong cumulative annual growth of 6.3 percent, reflecting ongoing infrastructure development activities across the country.

(KNN Bureau)