Core sector Data: India’s infrastructure output slows to 6-month low of 3.5% in April

The growth in eight core infrastructure industries further moderated to 3.5 per cent in April on an annual basis after hitting a five-month low of 3.6 per cent in March. It also sharply eased from 9.5% growth a year earlier.

The production of fertilisers, steel, cement and coal increased in April 2023 over the corresponding month of last year, data from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry showed.

The core sector growth was 9.5 per cent in April 2022 while in March 2023 the key infra sectors recorded a growth rate of 3.6 per cent. The growth rate in April 2023 is the lowest since October 2022 when the sectors expanded by 0.7 per cent.

Coal production growth declined to 9 per cent in April this year, according to the official data released on Wednesday.

Fertiliser production soared by 23.5 per cent, steel by 12.1 per cent and cement output by 11.6 per cent in April, the data showed.

The index of eight core industries (ICI) measures combined and individual performance of production of core industries viz. coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity. They comprise 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).(More to come)