Explanation: There are six basic industries which every industrializing economy requires, namely— (i) Iron and Steel (ii) Cement (iii) Coal (iv) Crude oil (v) Oil refining and (vi) Electricity [Note: At present, there are eight Core Industries in India (with the Base: 2004–05=100), six existing ‘basic/infrastructure industries’ with two new additions, i.e., Natural Gas and Fertilizer.

Source: Ramesh Singh