FIPI
An important development during the month was the introduction of a new ICI series with base year 2022-23, replacing the earlier 2011-12 base year. The revised series expands the coverage of the index from eight to nine core industries with the inclusion of Iron Ore, recognising its growing importance in industrial production and infrastructure development. The new series also adopts gross steel production in place of net production, retains only Raw Coal to eliminate double counting, and aligns the methodology and weights with the revised Index of Industrial Production (IIP) 2022-23 series, thereby improving consistency and reflecting the changing structure of the Indian economy.
Figure 16: Index of Core Industries (ICI) and Year-on-Year Growth Rate (June 2025 - June 2026) -YoY growth rate (RHS)
Source: Office of Economic Adviser, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Sector-wise, Iron Ore recorded the highest annual growth of 43.9 per cent, followed by Electricity and Cement, both of which grew by 9.8 per cent, reflecting strong demand from infrastructure and construction activities. Steel production also expanded by 4.6 per cent, while Coal recorded a modest growth of 1.4 per cent. In contrast, Natural Gas (-7.4 per cent), Refinery Products (-4.7 per cent), Crude Oil (-4.2 per cent) and Fertilizers (-3.3 per cent) registered negative growth during the month, highlighting continued weakness in parts of the energy sector. Iron Ore and Electricity emerged as the principal contributors to the overall growth in the Index of Core Industries during recent months.
July 2026
Figure 17: Sector-wise Growth Rate of Core Industries - May and June 2026
May 26
Coal Natural Gas Crude Oil Refinery Fertilizers Steel
Products
Source-Office of Economic Adviser, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry
June-26 (P)
Cement Electricity Iron Ore