NEW DELHI, September 21: India’s nine core industries recorded year-on-year growth of 4.8 per cent in August 2026, driven by strong expansion in cement and electricity production, according to provisional data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The growth moderated slightly from the revised 5.0 per cent expansion recorded in July 2026.
Cement production rose 12.5 per cent year-on-year in August, registering the highest growth among the nine core industries, while electricity generation increased 11.6 per cent.
Iron ore production grew 5.5 per cent, followed by steel at 3.4 per cent and refinery products at 2.6 per cent.
Four industries recorded a decline during the month. Fertilizer production contracted 12.4 per cent, natural gas output fell 4.9 per cent, coal production declined 3.8 per cent and crude oil output decreased 3.6 per cent from a year earlier.
The overall Index of Core Industries stood at 119.2 in August 2026, compared with 113.7 in August 2025.
During April-August 2026, the cumulative core industries index grew 4.3 per cent year-on-year, compared with growth of 2.4 per cent during the corresponding period of the previous year.
The cumulative index stood at 119.2 during April-August 2026, against 114.3 in the same period of 2025.
The government also revised the final Index of Core Industries for July 2026 to 120.8 from the provisional estimate of 121.2. Consequently, July’s year-on-year growth was revised to 5.0 per cent from the provisional estimate of 5.4 per cent.
Under the revised 2022-23 base-year series, the Index of Core Industries covers nine sectors, with electricity carrying the highest weight of 30.932 per cent. It is followed by refinery products at 22.572 per cent and steel at 17.584 per cent.
Crude oil has a weight of 7.430 per cent, coal 5.596 per cent, iron ore 4.905 per cent, cement 4.410 per cent, natural gas 3.841 per cent and fertilizers 2.731 per cent.
The provisional Index of Core Industries for September 2026 is scheduled to be released on October 21.
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