The government has issued mandatory quality norms for asbestos or fibre cement-based products to curb the import of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing. A notification was issued in this regard by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Under these orders, items cannot be produced, sold, traded, imported and stocked unless they bear the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark. It will come into force on the expiry of six months from the date of publication of this notification in the official gazette. Mandatory QCOs help curb the import of sub-standard products, prevent unfair trade practices and ensure the safety and well-being of consumers as well as the environment.  Consolidation to continue in cement sectorOver the past decade, the market share of the top five cement companies has steadily risen, reaching 54 per cent as of December 2023 from 45 per cent in March 2015. According to ICRA, forecasts suggest this trend will continue, with expectations of a further surge to 55 per cent by March 2025, indicating a notable consolidation within the sector. This shift is being propelled by several factors, chiefly among them being the robust demand prospects for cement. Through acquisitions or mergers, acquirers gain access to ready-made capacities and essential resources like limestone reserves, bypassing the lengthy gestation periods associated with setting up Greenfield cement plants.Bullet Train Project: Giving a major thrust to industryThe Mumbai Ahmedabad Bullet Train project with its 508 km alignment, 12 stations, 24 river bridges, eight mountain tunnels and one undersea tunnel is providing a major boost to the construction industry, employment opportunities and skill development of workforce. High quality construction technology is being adopted for this mega project. About 20,000 cubic metres of concrete equivalent to eight buildings of 10 storeys each is being used every day for the project across Gujarat and Maharashtra. Till date, about 7.8 million cubic metres of concreting work has been completed by deploying 1.3 million large transit mixers. This scale of work is made possible with the dedicated working of about 20,000 workmen every day for the last 2 and half years resulting in employment generation. Industry on green logistics drive, pilot testing 150 E-trucksAs part of its green logistics drive, India’s cement industry, which is the second largest in the world with an installed capacity of around 670 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), is piloting the usage of EV trucks (E-trucks) and has already deployed around 150 E-trucks. For each MT of capacity, an investment of around `10 billion is required. The industry is heavily reliant on road transport and internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks for moving cement, clinker and other raw materials across an average distance of 300km. The report said that the cement industry currently accounts for 2.3 MTPA of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The report said that the transition to E-trucks presents an opportunity to slash logistic costs by 25-40 percent.UltraTech offers to acquire 31.6 per cent in RAKWCTAditya Birla group firm UltraTech Cement said it has made an offer to acquire a 31.6 per cent stake in UAE-based RAK Cement Co for White Cement and Construction Materials PSC (RAKWCT).RAKWCT was incorporated in September 1980 and had a turnover of Rs.4.82 billion in CY21. UltraTech has a consolidated capacity of 138.39 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of grey cement. It has 23 integrated manufacturing units, 29 grinding units, one clinkerisation unit and eight bulk packaging terminals.Contact: UltraTech CementTel: 022-66917800Email: www.ultratechcement.com