India’s eight infrastructure industries designated as ‘core sectors’ recorded a growth of 0.5 percent in May 2026, a seven-month low and down from 1.8 percent in April 2026, according to data released by the ministry of commerce and industry on Tuesday, June 23.
The eight core industries are coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizer, steel, cement and electricity.
The outputs of five key sectors - coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products and fertilizer - recorded negative growth in May.
Growth in petroleum refinery products slumped to a 42-month low of 8.7 percent a contraction from a mild contraction of 0.5 percent in April. Furthermore, coal output contracted by 9.3 percent in May, marking a 10-month low.
Crude oil output declined 4.6 percent during the month compared with a contraction of 3.9 percent in the previous month, while natural gas output contracted by 4.9 percent, a three-month low.
Additionally, the contraction of fertilizer production eased to 0.9 percent in May, compared with a contraction of 8.6 percent in April.
