India's Core Sector Growth Hits 30-Month High of 7.9% in September on Strong Iron Ore, Power and Cement Output

India's core sector industries grew at a 30-month high of 7.9 per cent in September compared with the same month last year, powered by strong showings in iron ore, electricity, coal, refinery products, cement and steel, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday.

Iron ore production jumped 18.4 per cent in September. Given its intensive use in production processes and its contribution to industrial development, iron ore has been added as a new item to the revised series of the Index of Core Industries (ICI). Accordingly, the number of core industries rose from eight to nine in the new series, which took effect for the first time last month.

Electricity generation rose 11.4 per cent during September, while coal production climbed 10.7 per cent. Refinery product output also increased 10.7 per cent for the month as demand for petroleum goods picked up amid higher levels of economic activity.

Cement posted a robust 10.3 per cent growth and steel production rose 4.9 per cent, with demand staying buoyant on the back of large government investments in big-ticket infrastructure projects such as highways, ports and railways. Fertilisers, natural gas and crude oil, however, recorded negative growth in September.

The final index for August 2026 has been revised from 119.2 to 120.4, and the year-on-year growth rate accordingly revised from 4.8 per cent to 5.9 per cent. Cumulative growth of the core industries index during April-September 2026 now works out to 5.1 per cent, compared with 2.5 per cent in the same period last year, reflecting the acceleration in infrastructure industries.

The Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), released the revised ICI series with base year 2022-23 for the first time in July this year, replacing the earlier series with base year 2011-12.

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