India's core infrastructure sectors demonstrated improved performance in April 2026, with production growth rising to 1.7% compared to the same month last year. According to provisional data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday, this represents an acceleration from the 1.2% growth recorded in March 2026. The eight core sectors that contribute significantly to the country's industrial output showed mixed performance during the month under review, with these sectors accounting for 40.27% of the weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
The April growth was primarily driven by higher output of cement, electricity and steel sectors. As reported by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, these three sectors emerged as the key contributors to the overall positive growth trajectory. Cement production posted the sharpest rise at 9.4% year-on-year in April, followed by steel at 6.2% and electricity generation at 4.1%. These sectors showed stronger momentum compared to the previous month, supporting the overall core sector expansion. For the full financial year 2025-26, steel production registered the strongest cumulative growth at 9.5%, followed by cement at 8.7%, while electricity generation grew 1% over the same period.
Despite the positive overall growth, several key sectors faced challenges during April. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry data, coal production contracted 8.7% year-on-year in April, while crude oil output declined 3.9%. Natural gas production dropped 4.3%, petroleum refinery products slipped 0.5% and fertiliser production contracted 8.6%. For the full fiscal year 2025-26, crude oil and natural gas each declined 2.8% during April-March 2025-26, while coal output fell 0.5% and refinery products and fertilisers each recorded marginal contractions of 0.1% during the year.
The April 2026 performance showed significant improvement compared to the same period last year. As reported by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, these eight sectors had expanded by only 1% in the same month last year. This comparison indicates that the current growth rate represents an acceleration in industrial activity, suggesting strengthening momentum in the core infrastructure sectors during the first quarter of the fiscal year. For the full financial year 2025-26, the cumulative growth rate of the eight core industries stood at 2.7% compared with the previous year.
