New Delhi

India’s industrial production growth eased to a five-month low of 4.1 per cent in March, weighed down by softer performance in the manufacturing and power sectors amid the West Asia crisis, according to official data released on Tuesday.

Factory output, measured through the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), had expanded by 3.9 per cent in March 2025. The latest figures were released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The NSO also revised February 2026 industrial growth slightly downward to 5.1 per cent from the provisional estimate of 5.2 per cent announced earlier. Prior to March, the lowest growth rate had been recorded in October 2025 at 0.5 per cent.

Sector-wise data showed manufacturing output grew 4.3 per cent in March 2026, marginally higher than 4 per cent in the corresponding month last year. Mining activity improved significantly, registering 5.5 per cent growth compared with 1.2 per cent a year earlier.

Power generation, however, slowed sharply, rising only 0.8 per cent in March against a strong 7.5 per cent increase in the same month last year.

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For the full financial year 2025-26, industrial production growth remained nearly unchanged at 4.1 per cent, compared with 4 per cent in the previous fiscal year.