The week in charts: Fertilizer output, IT earnings, health spending survey

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.From fertilizer production falling to near five-year low in March, to foodgrain stocks surging to nearly three times the mandated buffer, to rural patients spending more than urban counterparts at government hospitals, to major IT firms declaring their FY26 earnings — here is a compilation of this week's news in numbers.India's fertilizer production fell to a near five-year low in March. Shortages of inputs, such as liquefied natural gas and sulphur, caused by the war in West Asia, dragged output down by 24.6% year-on-year.

The fertilizer production index was at 95.7 in March 2026, its lowest reading since April 2021, when it had touched 88.3. The broader index of eight core industries, which covers coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement, and electricity, rose in absolute terms during the month but contracted 0.4% from a year ago, its weakest performance in nearly two years.Supply chain disruptions stemming from the war weighed on energy and input-heavy sectors, with crude oil production, coal, and electricity generation all declining during the month.With Infosys declaring its results on Thursday, five major Indian IT companies have now reported their FY26 earnings, revealing a broadly strong revenue performance but uneven profit growth.

On the revenue side, all five IT giants posted year-on-year growth. HCL Technologies (HCLTech) led with 11.2%, followed by Infosys at 9.6%, Tech Mahindra at 7.2%, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) at 4.6%, and Wipro at 4%.Net profits, however, showed a mixed pattern.

While Tech Mahindra recorded the strongest growth at 13%, followed by Infosys at 10.1%, TCS and Wipro posted modest gains of 1.3% and 0.4%. HCLTech was