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If the deal goes through, it will further cement Adani's position in Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman raised India's capital
the buildings-material space and on track to achieve the goal of expenditure outlay for the current fiscal to Rs 7.5 lakh crore, up by
becoming the largest cement maker in the country. more than 35 per cent compared to last fiscal.
The Modi government has maintained a razor sharp focus on
Its main rival UltraTech Cement, part of the Aditya Birla Group, expediting the speed of infrastructure creation. The PM
has plans to spend Rs 12,886 crore to increase capacity through GatiShakti initiative aims to speed up the existing infrastructure
brown field and green field expansion. projects. The Network Planning Group constituted under the
t claims that the capacity will reach close to 160 MTPA after the initiative has examined 229 critical infrastructure projects and
latest round of expansion and will meet country's future needs for given recommendations to fix the gaps.
housing, roads, and other infrastructure.
The upcoming Budget is expected to keep the focus intact on
What's driving the push capital expenditure and usher in reforms that will accelerate the
An expanded focus on India's infrastructure sector to pull the pace of infrastructure creation.
economy out of lethargy has made cement sector a lucrative bet Even though India's economic growth rate has been pared by the
for India's top conglomerate. The appetite for cement is only IMF, it still will be one of the fastest growing economies in the
going to surge as India builds more housing for its people and current fiscal and continue to attract foreign investors even as the
create more capital assets like roads, bridges. world stares at a recession.

26 / CONSTRUCTION VISION / February-March 2023