PROVISIONAL INDEX OF CORE INDUSTRIES FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2026, AND FINAL INDEX FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2026 WITH BASE YEAR 2022-23

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry released the provisional Index of Core Industries (ICI) for September 2026, which registered a year-on-year growth rate of 7.9 per cent compared to September 2025. This is higher than the growth rate of 5.9 per cent recorded for August 2026 (Final). Iron ore, electricity, coal, refinery products, cement, and steel recorded positive year-on-year growth in September 2026, while fertilizers, natural gas, and crude oil witnessed negative growth. The cumulative growth rate of ICI for the April-September 2026 period stood at a provisional 5.1 per cent compared to 2.5 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year. The base year for the index is 2022-23.