New cement association formed for south India

Cement manufacturers in India have formed an association exclusively for southern India. The newly-formed South India Cement Manufacturers' Association (SICMA) is headed by N Srinivasan, vice-chairman and MD of India Cements, while Ravinder Reddy, director of Bharathi Cements, will be vice-president of the association.

According to Mr Srinivasan, the formation of a south Indian body is required due to the size of the country and the efforts of various state governments to boost infrastructure development.

Addressing a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Krishna Srivastava, secretary, stated that the association was formed with an objective to be an interface between the southern cement manufacturers and the government to help achieve the Prime Minister's vision of affordable housing for all and infrastructure for future.