Forbes India

India’s new series of industrial output records a growth of 4.9 percent in April

India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) recorded growth of 4.9 percent in April 2026 based on a new series with an updated base year, according to government data released on Monday. This is the first data point released after the series was updated with a revised base year of 2022-23 from 2011-12 in the previous series.Of the four major sectors, manufacturing grew at 6.2 percent, sewerage and waste management (a new sector added in this series) grew at 6.6 percent, and electricity and gas supply grew by 4.9 percent. Gas supply, which covers gas distribution and not production, is also a new sector added in the latest series. However, mining and quarrying recorded a contraction of 5.1 percent.Within the electricity sector, the renewable energy index grew by 18 percent in April, while generation from non-renewable energy sources grew by 2.8 percent and gas supply contracted by 11.2 percent.Also Read: Core sector growth edges up to 1.7 percent in AprilThe data also shows that within the manufacturing sector, 17 of the 23 groups recorded positive growth. The sectors with significant growth include the manufacture of motor vehicles, at 12.7 percent, the manufacture of electrical equipment, at 19.2 percent, and the manufacture of machinery and equipment, at 12.9 percent.Within the mining sector, mining for rare earth minerals, another sector added to the series for the first time, grew by 12.3 percent in April, while growth in the minor minerals category contracted by 14.2 percent in the same month.The new series of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), with an updated base year of 2022-23 instead of 2011-12, will, for the first time, track output from rare earth minerals, renewable energy, gas supply, water supply, and waste management sectors. This new series also broadens the index to cover 1,042 products across 463 item groups, compared to 839 items grouped under 407 item groups in the previous series. As many as 64 items from the previous series have been dropped from the new series.The new series aligns the base year with those used in the revised GDP, retail inflation, and wholesale inflation series, and aims to improve consistency across India’s macroeconomic data.The additions reflect how India’s industrial landscape has shifted since the last revision.