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Economic Review June 20256www.projectstoday.comPrimary goods and Consumer non-durables declined by 0.4 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.EIGHT INFRA INDUSTRIES The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) for April 2025 showed a modest increase of 0.5 percent compared to April 2024. This growth was primarily driven by positive production trends in Cement, Coal, Steel, Electricity, and Natural gas.Sector-Wise PerformanceCoal production in April 2025 rose by 3.5 percent over the same month last year, contributing to a cumulative annual increase of 5.1 percent. Crude oil production, however, declined by 2.8 percent in April and saw a cumulative drop of 2.2 percent for the year. Natural gas showed a slight uptick of 0.4 percent in April, although its overall annual output decreased by 1.2 percent.Petroleum refinery output fell sharply by 4.5 percent in April but still managed a cumulative growth of 2.8 percent for the year. Fertiliser production also declined by 4.2 percent in April, though its annual growth was up by 2.9 percent.Steel production increased by 3.0 percent in April, with a strong cumulative rise of 6.9 percent over the financial year. Cement posted the highest monthly growth at 6.7 percent, while its yearly output rose by 6.3 percent. Electricity generation also improved, rising 1.0 percent in April and showing a cumulative growth of 5.2 percent over the year.Overall, while monthly growth in April was subdued, the cumulative figures indicate a broadly positive performance in India%u2019s core industrial sectors for the financial year 2024-25.The final growth rate for the index in January 2025 was recorded at 5.1 percent. For the full financial year from April 2024 to March 2025, the cumulative growth rate stood at 4.5 percent on a provisional basis, reflecting steady momentum in core sectors on a Year-on-Year basis.FOREIGN TRADEIndia%u2019s total exports (including merchandise and services) for April 2025 is estimated at USD 73.80 billion, registering a growth of 12.70 percent compared to April 2024. Total imports (including merchandise and services) for April 2025 are projected to be USD 82.45 billion, showing a growth of 15.72 percent compared to April 2024.ExportsThe Merchandise exports in April 2025 were USD 38.49 billion, as compared to USD 35.30 billion in April 2024. The estimated value of Services exports for April 2025 was USD 35.31 billion, up from USD 30.18 billion in April 2024.Performance of Eight Core IndustriesGrowth Rates (%)SectorCoalCrude OilNatural GasRefinery ProductsFertilizersSteelCementElectricityOverall IndexWeight10.338.986.8728.032.6717.915.3719.85100.002020-2021-1.9-5.2-8.2-11.21.7-8.7-10.8-0.5-6.42021-20228.5-2.619.28.90.716.920.88.010.42022-202314.8-1.71.64.811.39.38.78.97.82023-202411.80.66.13.63.712.58.97.17.62024-20255.1-2.2-1.22.82.96.76.35.14.4