New Delhi, Feb 10 (KNN) The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recently convened a consultation session with representatives from the Indian Cement Industry.

The primary objective was to streamline the collection of cement production data, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the sector.

Cement stands as one of India's core industries, holding significant weightage in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) at 5.37 per cent.

The DPIIT relies on cement production data to calculate the Index of Eight Core Industries, a crucial metric for economic analysis and policy formulation.

India, with its second-largest cement industry globally, underscores the importance of accurate data for informed decision-making.

During the consultation, challenges regarding irregular data reporting from certain cement plants were acknowledged.

To address this, DPIIT is granting ad-hoc permissions to cement plants under the Ease of Doing Business initiative, allowing them to manufacture and sell cement without ISI mark for a period of up to 150 days or till the plant gets BIS certification, whichever is earlier, stated Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT.

Registration in the Central Inspection System (CIS) portal will soon become a prerequisite for such permissions, Sanjiv added.

Furthermore, the CIS portal is undergoing revisions to enhance functionality and user experience. The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM) has been tasked with coordinating updates and ensuring seamless integration with industry representatives.

Representatives from prominent cement companies, including Saurashtra Cement Ltd., Dalmia Cement (B) Ltd., Shree Cement Ltd., and others, expressed their commitment to providing production data regularly.

Assurances were made to onboard remaining plants onto the CIS portal by March 31, 2024, to ensure comprehensive coverage and accuracy in data reporting.

The consultation, held on Friday, witnessed active participation from industry stakeholders, highlighting collective efforts to enhance transparency and efficiency in data collection within the cement sector.

With these initiatives, stakeholders anticipate better-informed decision-making and policy formulation to drive growth and development in the industry.

(KNN Bureau)