<h1>Core Industries Index Grows 2.9% in March 2013; Notable Gains in Petroleum, Steel, and Cement Despite Overall Decline.</h1> The Index of Eight Core Industries, which constitutes 37.90% of the Index of Industrial Production, recorded a growth of 2.9% in March 2013, slightly lower than the 3.0% in March 2012. The decline was due to negative growth in Natural Gas and low growth in Coal and Crude Oil. The cumulative growth for April-March 2012-13 was 2.6%, down from 5.0% in the previous year. Notable performances include a 5.6% growth in Petroleum Refinery Products and 6.6% in both Steel and Cement for March 2013, while Electricity generation grew by 3.0%.