NEW DELHI: India’s core sector growth accelerated to 7.9 per cent in September 2026, up from 5.9 per cent in August, driven by strong output across six of the eight key infrastructure industries, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday.The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) tracks the performance of coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity. These industries account for 40.27 per cent of the weight of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), making the index an important indicator of industrial activity.Iron ore production recorded the highest year-on-year growth at 18.4 per cent in September, followed by electricity at 11.4 per cent and coal at 10.7 per cent. Refinery products grew 10.3 per cent, cement output increased 9.8 per cent, while steel production rose 4.9 per cent during the month.In contrast, fertiliser production declined 11.7 per cent in September, while natural gas output contracted 4.6 per cent and crude oil production fell 1.4 per cent year-on-year.Coal, refinery products, steel and iron ore have been the major drivers of overall core sector growth in recent months, the ministry said.The cumulative growth rate of the core industries index stood at 5.1 per cent during April-September 2026, compared with 2.5 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year, according to provisional data.The ministry also revised the final index for August 2026 upwards to 120.4 from the provisional estimate of 119.2. Consequently, the year-on-year growth rate for August was revised to 5.9 per cent from the earlier estimate of 4.8 per cent.The September 2026 figures are provisional. The ministry said the index for October 2026 is scheduled to be released on November 20.
