<p>New Delhi: Core infrastructure sector recorded its worst performance in 14 months in October with flat overall production dragged by a sharp drop in output of electricity, coal, natural gas and crude oil, official data showed on Thursday.</p><p>Output of the key infrastructure sector, as measured by the Index of Eight Core Industries, had recorded a growth of 3.3 per cent in September. Cumulative growth during the April-October period of the current financial year stood at 2.5 per cent when compared with the same period last year.</p><p>Coal and electricity were among the major drags in October. Electricity production in October was 7.6 per cent lower from the same month last year, while coal output dipped by 8.5 per cent. Production of natural gas declined by 5 per cent year-on-year, while crude oil output fell by 1.2 per cent.</p>.Number of 5G subscribers in India may rise to 100 crore by 2031: Report.<p>However, fertilizer, steel, cement and petroleum refinery recorded positive growth in production during the month under review.</p><p>According to analysts, coal and power production were impacted in October due to excess rainfall.</p><p>“Excess rainfall impacted mining activity and power demand in October, with the coal output and electricity generation contracting by a sharp 8.5 per cent and 7.6 per cent, respectively in the month,” said Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist at ICRA.</p><p>Moreover, the growth in steel output decelerated sharply to a six-month low of 6.7 per cent from double-digits in the previous month, albeit partly on account of an adverse base, with an early onset of the festive season in 2025, she added.</p>.'Zomato developing feature to share customers' phone numbers with restaurants upon consent': CEO.<p>Cumulative increase in steel production during April-October period stood at 10.3 per cent year-on-year. Cement output in April-October 2025 was 7.3 per cent higher when compared with the corresponding period of the last year, data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed. In October, cement output was 5.3 per cent higher when compared with the same month last year.</p><p>The eight core industries that include coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity, comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).</p><p>Given the deterioration in the performance of the mining and electricity segments, ICRA expects the IIP growth to decline in the range of 2.5-3.5 per cent in October from 4.0 per cent in September, even as the growth in manufacturing is likely remained healthy aided by higher demand during the festive season on account of the GST rate rationalisation and the ensuing restocking, Nayar said. </p>
<p>New Delhi: Core infrastructure sector recorded its worst performance in 14 months in October with flat overall production dragged by a sharp drop in output of electricity, coal, natural gas and crude oil, official data showed on Thursday.</p><p>Output of the key infrastructure sector, as measured by the Index of Eight Core Industries, had recorded a growth of 3.3 per cent in September. Cumulative growth during the April-October period of the current financial year stood at 2.5 per cent when compared with the same period last year.</p><p>Coal and electricity were among the major drags in October. Electricity production in October was 7.6 per cent lower from the same month last year, while coal output dipped by 8.5 per cent. Production of natural gas declined by 5 per cent year-on-year, while crude oil output fell by 1.2 per cent.</p>.Number of 5G subscribers in India may rise to 100 crore by 2031: Report.<p>However, fertilizer, steel, cement and petroleum refinery recorded positive growth in production during the month under review.</p><p>According to analysts, coal and power production were impacted in October due to excess rainfall.</p><p>“Excess rainfall impacted mining activity and power demand in October, with the coal output and electricity generation contracting by a sharp 8.5 per cent and 7.6 per cent, respectively in the month,” said Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist at ICRA.</p><p>Moreover, the growth in steel output decelerated sharply to a six-month low of 6.7 per cent from double-digits in the previous month, albeit partly on account of an adverse base, with an early onset of the festive season in 2025, she added.</p>.'Zomato developing feature to share customers' phone numbers with restaurants upon consent': CEO.<p>Cumulative increase in steel production during April-October period stood at 10.3 per cent year-on-year. Cement output in April-October 2025 was 7.3 per cent higher when compared with the corresponding period of the last year, data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed. In October, cement output was 5.3 per cent higher when compared with the same month last year.</p><p>The eight core industries that include coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement and electricity, comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).</p><p>Given the deterioration in the performance of the mining and electricity segments, ICRA expects the IIP growth to decline in the range of 2.5-3.5 per cent in October from 4.0 per cent in September, even as the growth in manufacturing is likely remained healthy aided by higher demand during the festive season on account of the GST rate rationalisation and the ensuing restocking, Nayar said. </p>