The cheaper cement and sand scheme, which was the major poll promise of the TRS government in Telangana, has failed to make headway even after the government completing its half-term in office, with contractors unwilling to take up works citing the unit cost prescribed by the government as ‘financially unviable’.
To break the deadlock, the state government held talks with cement companies to supply cement for cheaper rate recently. The cement firms agreed to supply cement for just Rs 230 per bag against the market price of Rs 330 for the next three years and signed an MoU with the government to this effect. Thereafter, the government announced it will provide sand for free.