India's Core Industries Show Resilient Growth in January 2025

The Commerce Ministry reported a 4.6% boost in the Index of Eight Core Industries for January 2025. Cement, refinery products, coal, steel, fertilizers, and electricity posted positive growth, offsetting declines in crude oil and natural gas. The cumulative growth from April to January was 4.4% over the previous year.

The Indian Commerce Ministry has released data indicating a 4.6% rise in the Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) for January 2025, compared to the same month last year. This increase highlights a positive trend in the production of cement, refinery products, coal, steel, fertilizers, and electricity.

The ICI, crucial for gauging the performance of India's industrial sector, combines and measures the output of eight key industries: coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement, and electricity. These sectors hold a significant 40.27% weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). October 2024 saw an ICI growth of 3.8%, and the April 2024 to January 2025 cumulative growth rate reached 4.4%.

Breaking down the numbers, coal production grew by 4.6% in January 2025 with a 6% cumulative increase from April to January. Despite a 1.1% decline in crude oil production in January, refinery products surged by 8.3%. Natural gas faced a 1.5% drop but maintained a 0.5% overall rise during the ten-month period. Steel increased by 3.7%, and cement soared by 14.5%, while electricity generation experienced a modest 1.3% growth.