<h1>March 2014: Core Industries Index Climbs 2.5% with Notable Growth in Steel and Electricity Production.</h1> The Index of Eight Core Industries, which holds a 37.90% weight in the Index of Industrial Production, rose to 175.4 in March 2014, marking a 2.5% increase from March 2013. Over the fiscal year 2013-14, the cumulative growth was 2.6%. Coal production increased by 0.7%, while crude oil and natural gas production declined by 1.6% and 9.3%, respectively. Petroleum refinery products grew by 2.8%, and steel production rose by 5.4%. Cement production remained unchanged, and electricity generation increased by 5.4%. Fertilizer production fell by 6.1% but showed a yearly growth of 1.5%. Data remains provisional.