India’s eight core infrastructure sectors recorded a growth of 1.8 per cent in November, slower than the 5.8 per cent expansion seen in the same month last year, according to official data released on Monday. The moderation was mainly due to lower production in crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, and electricity.
Despite the year-on-year slowdown, the performance of core industries improved on a month-on-month basis. The combined output of the eight key sectors—coal, crude oil, natural gas, petroleum refinery products, electricity, fertiliser, and steel—had contracted marginally by 0.1 per cent in October.
Core sector growth is a key indicator of overall industrial activity, as these industries together account for a significant share of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).