20th APRIL 2026 ENGLISH TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS PDF TNPSC SHOUTERS
Eight Core Industries Index March 2026
- The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) declined by 0.4 per cent (provisional) in March, 2026 as compared to the Index in March, 2025. The production of Fertilizers, Crude Oil, Coal and Electricity recorded negative growth in March, 2026. The details of annual indices, monthly indices and growth rates are provided at Annex I and Annex II.
- The ICI measures the combined and individual performance of production of eight core industries viz. Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity. The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
- The final growth rate of Index of Eight Core Industries for February 2026 was observed at 2.8 per cent. The cumulative growth rate of ICI during April to March, 2025-26 is 2.6 per cent (provisional) as compared to the corresponding period of last year.
- Coal - Coal production (weight: 10.33 per cent) decreased by 4.0 per cent in March, 2026 over March, 2025. Its cumulative index declined by 0.5 per cent during April to March, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.
- Crude Oil - Crude Oil production (weight: 8.98 per cent) declined by 5.7 per cent in March, 2026 over March, 2025. Its cumulative index declined by 2.8 per cent during April to March, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.
- Natural Gas - Natural Gas production (weight: 6.88 per cent) increased by 6.4 per cent in March, 2026 over March, 2025. Its cumulative index declined by 2.8 per cent during April to March, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.
- Petroleum Refinery Products - Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 28.04 per cent) increased by 0.1 per cent in March, 2026 over March, 2025. Its cumulative index declined by 0.1 per cent during April to March, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.
- Fertilizers - Fertilizer production (weight: 2.63 per cent) declined by 24.6 per cent in March, 2026 over March, 2025. Its cumulative index declined by 0.1 per cent during April to March, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.
- Steel - Steel production (weight: 17.92 per cent) increased by 2.2 per cent in March, 2026 over March, 2025. Its cumulative index increased by 9.1 per cent during April to March, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.
- Cement - Cement production (weight: 5.37 per cent) increased by 4.0 per cent in March, 2026 over March, 2025. Its cumulative index increased by 8.6 per cent during April to March, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.
- Electricity - Electricity generation (weight: 19.85 per cent) declined by 0.5 per cent in March, 2026 over March, 2025. Its cumulative index increased by 0.9 per cent during April to March, 2025-26 over corresponding period of the previous year.
