New Delhi, June 23 -- India's fertiliser production returned to near-normal levels in May after sharp contractions in March and April, even as refinery output slumped, dragging growth in India's eight core industries to its slowest pace in seven months. Data released by the commerce and industry ministry on Monday showed the Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) grew 0.5% year-on-year in May, down from 1.8% in April and the slowest growth since October 2025, when the index contracted 0.1%. The contrasting performance of fertilisers and refinery products was among the most notable features of the data. Fertiliser output contracted 0.9% in May year-on-year compared to a contraction of 24.6% and 8.6% in March and April. The sharp March and Apri...