Mr. Mahendra Singhi, President, Cement Manufacturers Association and MD & CEO, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd., said “The budget is very encouraging and is indeed a welcome move. The government has taken into consideration the various sectors under organised and unorganised segments of the economy, an attempt, largely to filter the benefits of a burgeoning economy to the common sections of society. The key highlight was the benefits to empower the rural and agro economy.  

While the budget did not include a singular and direct vision for the cement sector and industry at large, some key announcements on ancillary sectors will impact the cement industry in a positive way. The Vision 2030 for Next-Gen Infrastructure development which mentioned airports, inland waterways, road and rail development will definitely translate into great opportunities for infrastructure and construction business. This will also tie into the governments vision for employment increase as India’s push for rapid infrastructure growth will position the cement industry as an opportunity employer with 20,000 downstream jobs for every million ton of cement produced. The announcement to bridge the Urban and Rural divide and allocation of INR 19000 CR allocated for rural roads will be an impetus for the cement industry. The renewed focus on housing for all schemes are an opportunity of revised demand and therefore price rationalization as well. Another good news that came in was the hike in the Railways capital expenditure to INR 64,587CR in FY20. We are excited on the way forward and congratulate the government on this optimistic move.”