Core sector grows 2.3% in February; cement, steel lead expansion
India’s core sector growth stood at 2.3 per cent in February 2026 on a year-on-year basis, driven by expansion in cement, steel, fertilisers, coal and electricity production, according to official data released on Friday.
The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI), which tracks the performance of key infrastructure sectors, had recorded a growth of 4.7 per cent in January 2026. The cumulative growth for the April–February period of the current financial year stands at 2.9 per cent on a provisional basis.
The eight core industries—coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity—together account for 40.27 per cent of the weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
Among the sectors, cement production registered the highest growth of 9.3 per cent in February, followed by steel at 7.2 per cent. Fertiliser output rose by 3.4 per cent, while coal production increased by 2.3 per cent. Electricity generation also recorded a marginal growth of 0.5 per cent.
However, some sectors witnessed contraction during the month. Crude oil production declined by 5.2 per cent, natural gas output fell by 5.0 per cent, and petroleum refinery production slipped by 1.0 per cent compared to February last year.
On a cumulative basis, steel and cement have shown strong growth during April to February, rising by 9.7 per cent and 9.2 per cent respectively. Fertiliser production increased by 2.0 per cent, while electricity generation grew by 0.9 per cent.
In contrast, crude oil and natural gas output declined by 2.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent respectively during the same period, while refinery products saw a marginal dip of 0.1 per cent.
-ANI
