India’s Core Sector Growth Hits 6.3% in May: Coal, Gas, Electricity Drive Expansion

The growth of the eight key infrastructure sectors increased by 6.3 percent in May, driven by healthy expansion in the production of coal, natural gas, and electricity, according to official data released on Friday. In April, the production of the eight sectors grew by 6.7 percent. The growth of these core sectors, which include coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizer, steel, cement, and electricity, was 5.2 percent in May 2023. However, the official data revealed that fertilizer, crude oil, and cement output recorded negative growth in May. From April to May this fiscal year, the output of these sectors increased by 6.5 percent, compared to 4.9 percent in the same period last fiscal year. It’s worth noting that the eight core sectors contribute 40.27 percent to the country’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP).