Core sectors growth picks up to 4.6% in January

The output of eight key infrastructure sectors rose by 4.6 per cent in January against a 4.2 per cent expansion in the same month of last year, according to official data released on Friday.

The key infrastructure sectors' output had expanded by 4.8 per cent in December 2024.

In January this year, the production of crude oil and natural gas declined compared to the year-ago period.

Coal production rose by 4.6 per cent, steel output by 3.7 per cent and electricity generation by 1.3 per cent in January 2025 against 10.6 per cent, 9.2 per cent, and 5.7 per cent, respectively in January 2024.

However, refinery products, fertiliser, and cement output rose to 8.3 per cent, 3 per cent and 14.5 per cent in the month under review.

The growth of core sectors -- coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity -- was 4.4 per cent during April-January this fiscal. It was 7.8 per cent in the same period last fiscal.

The eight core sectors contribute 40.27 per cent to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), which measures overall industrial growth.