{"id":14546,"date":"2026-07-18T13:02:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T07:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/?p=14546"},"modified":"2026-07-18T14:12:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T08:42:37","slug":"iron-ore-core-sector-index","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/iron-ore-core-sector-index\/","title":{"rendered":"Government Adds Iron Ore to Core Sector Index, Expanding It to Nine Industries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Core Sector: The Government&#8217;s move of including Iron ore in the list of indices of core industries is a major reform in the industrial statistics of India. Government of India announced adding the iron ore industry as one of the core industries to the Index of Core Industries (ICI), which is now observed in nine industries instead of eight industries. The new base period of 2022-23 for the revised index will give a more realistic indication of industrial output and the various shares of the mining industry. Iron ore is the key input for rising steel production, so it should be improving measures of industrial activity and providing stronger foundations for policy-making using evidence.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why in News? &#8211; Core Sector<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Government of India declared to add Iron Ore to the Core Sector Index, raising the number of industries from eight to nine in the Core Sector Index. The new revised series has been given a new base period as 2022\u201323 and would portray the modified current industrial structure and the industrial production of the economy of India.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Key Highlights of Government Adds Iron Ore to Core Sector Index<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The government has increased the number of industries in the Core Sector Index from 8 to 9.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Iron ore is added as the 9th core industry.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The current Index of Core Industries (ICI) has taken 2022\u201323 as the base year.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The mining industry has emerged as a key contributor to the industrial economy of India, and accordingly, it has been included.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The key raw material for the steel industry is iron ore.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It&#8217;s a new version of the index that makes things as accurate as possible when it comes to measuring an industry&#8217;s growth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The new series will help to enhance the compilation of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The reform facilitates development of data-based economic planning and policy making.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">List of Nine Core Industries &#8211; Core Sector<\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Core Industry<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Weight in ICI (%)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Refinery Products<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">25.33<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Electricity<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">19.85<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Steel<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">17.92<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coal<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10.33<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Iron Ore <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(Newly Added)<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7.55<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cement<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5.69<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Natural Gas<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4.87<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Crude Oil<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4.59<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fertilizers<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3.87<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Major Iron Ore Producing States in India<\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>State<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Major Mining Areas\/Districts<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Major Ore Type<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Key Fact<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Odisha<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hematite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>Largest producer of iron ore in India<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Chhattisgarh<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bailadila (Dantewada), Durg, Kanker<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hematite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bailadila has some of <\/span><b>Asia&#8217;s richest high-grade iron ore deposits<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Karnataka<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ballari (Bellary), Chitradurga, Tumakuru<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hematite &amp; Magnetite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Major iron ore producer in South India<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Jharkhand<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Noamundi, Gua (West Singhbhum)<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hematite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Home to <\/span><b>Noamundi<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, one of India&#8217;s oldest iron ore mines<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Goa<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">North Goa, South Goa<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Low-grade Hematite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Major exporter of iron ore through Mormugao Port<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Maharashtra<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gadchiroli, Chandrapur<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hematite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Important producer in central India<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Andhra Pradesh<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Anantapur, Kurnool<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Magnetite &amp; Hematite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Significant reserves of both ore types<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Rajasthan<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jaipur, Udaipur, Bhilwara<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Magnetite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Limited but economically important deposits<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Tamil Nadu<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Salem, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchirappalli<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Magnetite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Known for magnetite reserves<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Madhya Pradesh<\/b><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jabalpur, Balaghat<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hematite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Moderate iron ore reserves used by local steel industries<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">PYQs on Core Sector Industries\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Exam<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Year<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Question<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Answer<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>UPSC Prelims<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2013<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Which one of the following minerals is the chief raw material for the iron and steel industry?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. Bauxite<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. Copper<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. Iron Ore<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. Manganese<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>C. Iron Ore<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>UPSC Prelims<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2015<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Magnetite is considered a better quality iron ore than hematite because:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. It contains less iron<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. It contains a higher percentage of iron<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. It is found only in plains<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. It is used only for exports<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>B. It contains a higher percentage of iron<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>SSC CGL<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2022<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Which state is the largest producer of iron ore in India?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. Karnataka<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. Odisha<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. Chhattisgarh<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. Goa<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>B. Odisha<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>SSC CHSL<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2021<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Bailadila Iron Ore Mines are located in which state?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. Odisha<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. Karnataka<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. Chhattisgarh<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. Jharkhand<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>C. Chhattisgarh<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>RRB NTPC<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2022<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Noamundi Iron Ore Mine is situated in:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. Odisha<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. Jharkhand<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. Goa<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. Maharashtra<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>B. Jharkhand<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>SSC MTS<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2023<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Hematite is an ore of:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. Aluminium<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. Copper<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. Iron<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. Zinc<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>C. Iron<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>NDA<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2021<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Which iron ore has the highest iron content?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. Limonite<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. Siderite<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. Hematite<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. Magnetite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>D. Magnetite<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>CDS<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2020<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Which of the following states is famous for the Bailadila iron ore range?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. Odisha<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. Karnataka<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. Chhattisgarh<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. Goa<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>C. Chhattisgarh<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>CAPF (AC)<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2019<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>India&#8217;s richest deposits of hematite iron ore are mainly found in:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. Indo-Gangetic Plains<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. Peninsular Plateau<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. Western Himalayas<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. Thar Desert<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>B. Peninsular Plateau<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>SSC CPO<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>2020<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Which one of the following is NOT an iron ore?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A. Hematite<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">B. Magnetite<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">C. Limonite<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">D. Bauxite<\/span><\/td>\n<td><b>D. Bauxite<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/grey-hornbill-gir-forest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Grey Hornbill Returns to Gujarat\u2019s Gir Forest After Six Decades<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conclusion on Government Updates Core Sector Index<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The government&#8217;s move to take the Iron Ore industry on board the Core Sector Index is a significant reform in the industrial statistical framework of India. The Government also seeks to enhance the timeliness and reliability of industrial production data by introducing the group of nine core industries as compared to eight, and by changing the base year from 2011-12 to 2022-23. The new section on iron ore reflects an emerging trend of mining and steel generation in India and will constitute an invaluable help for policy decision making, investments and economic studies.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Iron Ore Included in India\u2019s Core Sector Index FAQs<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"cfaq-wrapper\" data-multiple=\"0\"><div class=\"cfaq-item cfaq-open\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"true\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">1. Which new industry has been added to the Core Sector Index?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\"><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">Iron Ore has been added as the ninth core industry.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cfaq-item\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">2. How many industries are now included in the Core Sector Index?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\" hidden><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">The Core Sector Index now includes nine industries.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cfaq-item\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">3. What is the new base year of the revised Core Sector Index?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\" hidden><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">The revised series uses 2022\u201323 as the base year.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cfaq-item\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">4. Which organization releases the Index of Core Industries?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\" hidden><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">The Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry releases the Index of Core Industries.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"cfaq-item\"><button class=\"cfaq-question\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><span class=\"cfaq-question-text\">5. Why is Iron Ore important for the Core Sector Index?<\/span><span class=\"cfaq-icon\"><\/span><\/button><div class=\"cfaq-answer\" hidden><div class=\"cfaq-answer-inner\"><div><span style=\"font-size: 12.35px\">&nbsp;Iron ore is the primary raw material for steel production and plays a crucial role in industrial growth, infrastructure development, and manufacturing, making its inclusion important for accurately measuring India's industrial performance.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Core Sector: The Government&#8217;s move of including Iron ore in the list of indices of core industries is a major reform in the industrial statistics of India. Government of India announced adding the iron ore industry as one of the core industries to the Index of Core Industries (ICI), which is now observed in nine [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-hindu-editorial"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14546"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14550,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14546\/revisions\/14550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.class24.study\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}