India's core sector output dips slightly in March

Indias Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) fell by 0.4% in March 2026 compared to the same month last year, according to provisional data. Output declined in sectors such as fertilizers, crude oil, coal and electricity, pulling down overall performance.

The ICI tracks the performance of eight key industriescoal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricitywhich together make up about 40% of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

For February 2026, the final growth rate was revised to 2.8%. Meanwhile, the overall growth of these core industries for the full financial year 202526 stood at 2.6% compared to the previous year.