New Delhi: The combined output of eight core industries in the month of October surged by 7.5 per cent, as compared to the same period last year, according to the official data released on Tuesday.


The cumulative output, apart from registering a year-on-year (YoY) growth, has also marked a sequential growth as the core industries grew by 4.4 per cent in September.


The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in an official release said, “The combined index of eight core industries — coal, steel, cement, fertiliser, electricity, natural gas, refinery products, and crude oil — stood at 136.2 in October 2021, which increased by 7.5 per cent (provisional) as compared to the index of October 2020.”


The above industries, along with crude oil, constitute the eight core industries. They comprise 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).


The highest growth, in October, was recorded in natural gas production as it increased by 25.8 per cent over the same period last year. Its cumulative index increased by 22.6 per cent during April-October 2021 over the corresponding period of previous year.


Coal output grew by 14.6 per cent as compared to the same period a year ago, with its cumulative index increasing by 12.2 per cent during April-October 2021 as compared to the same period of year 2020.