UltraTech enters race to buy Holcim’s stake in Ambuja Cement, ACC

12 May 2022 CW Team

UltraTech Cement of the Aditya Birla group has formally joined the race to acquire Swiss cement giant Holcim’s stake in Ambuja Cement and ACC Limited.

Gautam Adani-owned Adani Group, and Sajjan Jindal’s JSW group jumped into the race to acquire control that would instantly boost their position in the cement market.

On Wednesday, Ambuja Cements' shares opened in the green at Rs 360.80 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), while the ACC scrip rose to Rs 2,207 apiece. The Aditya Birla Group is ready to divest voluntary assets of approximately 15 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), as a solution to comply with market share norms.

India’s antitrust body, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has provided long-form merger notifications in eight out of 16 cement agreements since 2011. Of these eight, UltraTech independently had filed for five since 2013 with the CCI.

UltraTech was optimistic about getting the antitrust regulator’s green signal.

CCI lawyers are of the view that if firms can come up with possible solutions, approvals can come in as early as 30 working days. All five Aditya Birla Group cement agreements have been approved within the 30-working day period – also known as phase I approvals.

However, in phase II approvals, the regulator can take up to 210 calendar days from the time of obtaining the application to clear a proposal, if no corrective measures are provided.

Birla will volunteer a remedial plan involving divesting assets for a fast phase I approval.

Given the strong market presence of both players coupled with the oligopolistic nature of the industry, the CCI will generally concentrate on the combined market shares of parties, the extent of barriers to access in the market, and the position of their competitors in the market.

Image Source

Also read: JSW, Adani set to battle for Holcim's India cement assets

Infrastructure Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..