Infra tracker: Core sector growth slows to 1.7% in June; steel, cement & refinery products output gained

Growth in India’s eight core infrastructure sectors slowed to 1.7% in June 2025, down from 5% in the same month last year, as five of the eight sectors, including coal and electricity, registered a contraction, according to official data released on Monday.While marginally better than the 1.2% growth recorded in May 2025, the latest numbers point to a broader weakness in industrial activity. During the April–June quarter, core sector output rose just 1.3%, compared to 6.2% in the corresponding period last fiscal, PTI reported.Key segments such as coal (-6.8%), electricity (-2.8%), natural gas (-2.8%), crude oil (-1.2%) and fertilisers (-1.2%) registered negative growth in June, dragging down overall performance.However, strong gains in steel (9.3%), cement (9.2%) and refinery products (3.4%) helped offset deeper contraction.The core sectors—coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement, and electricity—comprise 40.27% of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and are seen as a key indicator of industrial activity.