CemHack National Hackathon Launched for Green Infrastructure

26 May 2025 CW Team

Marking the first anniversary of the NCB Incubation Centre (NCB-IC), Shri Sanjiv congratulated the team for promoting innovation in the cement and construction sectors. He urged institutions such as IITs, NITs, and regional technical universities to actively participate and expressed hope that the initiative would spark the creation of impactful start-ups.

Organised by NCB-IC, the hackathon offers a nationwide platform to commercialise grassroots innovations in cement, construction, and allied industries. Dr Kapil Kukreja, GM & In-charge at NCB-IC, outlined the two-track format—one open to start-ups, professionals, and individuals; the other to students and academia. Entry is free of charge.

Themes for the hackathon include Green Cement, Green Processes, Green Concrete, Carbon Capture & Storage, Logistics and Supply Chain, and strategies for achieving Net Zero emissions. Participants stand a chance to win cash prizes of up to Rs 1 million, along with incubation and mentoring support at NCB-IC. Registrations are open from 20 May to 20 July 2025 at https://www.ncbindia.com/cemhack.php.

NCB, under the DPIIT, serves as India’s apex research and development institution for cement and building materials, with expertise spanning raw material processing to structural rehabilitation.

Speaking at the launch, Dr L P Singh, Director General of NCB, emphasised the event’s importance in advancing sustainability across the construction ecosystem. He also announced recent developments, including a Department of Science and Technology-funded carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) test bed in collaboration with IIT Roorkee and JK Cement Ltd. A Centre of Excellence for CCU will also soon be established at NCB.

The launch event featured participation from Prof K K Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee; Shri Neeraj Akhoury, Chairman of NCB and MD of Shree Cement Ltd.; and a range of research scholars, students, industry experts, and NCB scientists.

A first-of-its-kind national-level hackathon, CemHack for Green Infra, was launched on 20 May 2025 by Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary at the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The event took place at the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) in Ballabgarh.Marking the first anniversary of the NCB Incubation Centre (NCB-IC), Shri Sanjiv congratulated the team for promoting innovation in the cement and construction sectors. He urged institutions such as IITs, NITs, and regional technical universities to actively participate and expressed hope that the initiative would spark the creation of impactful start-ups.Organised by NCB-IC, the hackathon offers a nationwide platform to commercialise grassroots innovations in cement, construction, and allied industries. Dr Kapil Kukreja, GM & In-charge at NCB-IC, outlined the two-track format—one open to start-ups, professionals, and individuals; the other to students and academia. Entry is free of charge.Themes for the hackathon include Green Cement, Green Processes, Green Concrete, Carbon Capture & Storage, Logistics and Supply Chain, and strategies for achieving Net Zero emissions. Participants stand a chance to win cash prizes of up to Rs 1 million, along with incubation and mentoring support at NCB-IC. Registrations are open from 20 May to 20 July 2025 at https://www.ncbindia.com/cemhack.php.NCB, under the DPIIT, serves as India’s apex research and development institution for cement and building materials, with expertise spanning raw material processing to structural rehabilitation.Speaking at the launch, Dr L P Singh, Director General of NCB, emphasised the event’s importance in advancing sustainability across the construction ecosystem. He also announced recent developments, including a Department of Science and Technology-funded carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) test bed in collaboration with IIT Roorkee and JK Cement Ltd. A Centre of Excellence for CCU will also soon be established at NCB.The launch event featured participation from Prof K K Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee; Shri Neeraj Akhoury, Chairman of NCB and MD of Shree Cement Ltd.; and a range of research scholars, students, industry experts, and NCB scientists.

Technology

29 Jul 2026

AI-Enabled Workflows Lift Profitability and Productivity

Organisations modernising frontline workflows with artificial intelligence, automation and real-time data are reporting stronger financial performance, higher productivity and improved employee engagement, according to a global study by Zebra Technologies and Oxford Economics.The research covered 1,000 senior leaders across retail, manufacturing, transportation and logistics in the US, Mexico, the UK, Germany, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.In transportation and logistics, 54 per cent of companies that improved picking and packing operations reported faster operational performance, wh..

Real Estate

29 Jul 2026

India Leads Global AI Readiness but Implementation Lags

Indian companies lead global averages across all eight artificial intelligence readiness indicators tracked by JLL, but only 19 per cent have started making changes to their workplaces, according to the JLL 2026 Future of Work Survey.The study found that 77 per cent of Indian business leaders expect AI to change their office requirements, creating a 58-percentage-point gap between awareness and implementation. The survey covered more than 2,200 CEOs, CFOs and real estate leaders across 21 countries during the first quarter of 2026.Despite concerns over automation, 58 per cent of Indian leaders..

Equipment

29 Jul 2026

Three WOLFF Cranes Build Riyadh Cable-Stayed Bridges

Three WOLFF 180 B luffing jib cranes are supporting the construction of two cable-stayed bridges alongside the existing Wadi Laban Bridge in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The project is being developed for the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and executed by the ICRC joint venture comprising IC Ictas and Al Rashid Trading & Contracting Company.The cranes are handling lifting operations including formwork, reinforcement, concrete placement, work platforms, surveying equipment and other construction materials. Each crane is fitted with a 40 m jib, reaches a hook height of 157 m and offers a maximum ..