Government Initiates Consultation with Cement Industry for Enhanced Data Collection Mechanism

New Delhi: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, conducted a comprehensive consultation with representatives of the Indian Cement Industry to streamline the mechanism for collecting cement production data. The objective is to ensure 100% coverage of the industry and improve the accuracy of data used for policy decisions and calculating the Index of Eight Core Industries.

Cement, being one of the eight core industries in India, holds significant weight in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The consultation focused on strengthening the collection process, which is presently done through the Cement Information System (CIS) portal. The DPIIT utilizes this data to calculate the Index of Eight Core Industries, with cement production accounting for 5.37% of the weightage.

India’s cement industry is the second-largest globally, with an installed capacity of 600 million tonnes and a production of 391 million tonnes in the fiscal year 2022-23. However, the current data collection process faces challenges as some plants are not providing data regularly, affecting the accuracy and completeness of the information.

During the consultation, officials emphasized the importance of robust and accurate data, highlighting its significance in making informed decisions for both the government and the cement industry. The data is widely relied upon by various agencies and investors for policy formulation and investment decisions.

Join Secretary of DPIIT, Shri Sanjiv, informed participants that the department is granting ad-hoc permissions to cement plants for the manufacture and sale of cement without ISI mark for a period up to 150 days or until the plant receives BIS certification, whichever is earlier. He also outlined that registration on the CIS portal will be a prerequisite for considering proposals for ad-hoc permission.

Moreover, it was disclosed that the CIS portal is undergoing revisions to enhance functionality, and the modified version will be launched shortly. The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM) was directed to collaborate with representatives of the cement industry for the updation of the CIS portal.

The industry representatives assured DPIIT that they would provide cement production data regularly, acknowledging the benefits of accurate and authentic information for the entire industry. They also committed to onboarding the remaining plants on the CIS portal by March 31, 2024.

The meeting, held on February 9, 2024, utilized a hybrid mode, and saw the participation of representatives from the Cement Manufacturing Association (CMA) and various leading cement companies, including Saurashtra Cement Ltd., Dalmia Cement (B) Ltd., Shree Cement Ltd., Adani Group, Star Cement Ltd, Jammu and Kashmir Cement Ltd. (JKCL), Heidelberg Cement, Orient Cement, Nuvoco Vistas Corp, Zuari Cement Ltd., My Home Industries Ltd., UltraTech Cement Ltd., The India Cement Ltd., and officials from the Cement Section, DPIIT.