The growth of the combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) rose to 1.7 per cent in April this year on an annual basis, up from revised 1.2 per cent in March. According to data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry, Cement production grew by 9.4 per cent, steel production increased by 6.2 per cent, electricity generation rose by 4.1 per cent last month on an annual basis.
However, coal production fell by 8.7 per cent, fertilizer production slumped by 8.6 per cent, Natural Gas production dipped by 4.3 per cent, crude oil production declined by 3.9 per cent, and Petroleum Refinery Products production dropped by half a per cent. The eight core industries comprise over 40 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production.
