Industrial and social progress can go hand-in-hand, while economic targets are being efficiently met. This can be deduced to be the goal of the current Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes that are being curated by cement companies. CSR has evolved with a deeper understanding of human and environmental factors that have a direct impact on economic growth.
The world has come a long way from Milton Friedman’s statement, “The purpose of corporate social responsibility is to make profits.” The jury have settled for a clear mandate that corporations have the responsibility to partake in the development of the society around the place where such development is in severe shortage. In India, on 29th August, 2013, The Companies Act 2013 replaced the Companies Act of 1956 and the New Act has introduced far-reaching changes that affect company formation, administration and governance, and incorporates an additional section i.e. Section 135 – clause on Corporate Social Responsibility obligations (‘CSR’) for companies listed in India. The clause covers the essential prerequisites pertaining to the execution, fund allotment and reporting for successful project implementation.
Most industrial activity in India is in locations far away from the developed cities and towns; there are only a few bright spots, where the township got developed around the industrial unit and the unit only prospered as the development gained ground around the place, whether it be in education, basic health, welfare or skill development. The network effects got better off single units spilling over to a cluster of units. Surprisingly these examples like Jamshedpur, Renukoot and Rourkella in the East or the industrial hubs that later fructified in many regional clusters happened without the enforcement of CSR as a legal requirement. The early entrepreneurs believed in the role of CSR as a value creating idea, not a mere formality of stipulations and budget exercises, however the need for a uniform code of conduct has made the progress in this area far more structured and corporations can now actually transparently showcase their progress made, which wasn’t the case before. For an industry such as cement, which starts with a mining activity that is only possible at remote locations, given the limestone deposits, CSR has always been at the forefront of management attention; the Section 135 has put some structure of governance around the subject with specific reporting guidelines. Of the many areas which outline the focus, the spate of disruptions that Covid-19 had spearheaded threw some additional pointers to the need of additional work. There are three such areas:
Responsibility towards the pool of migrant workers in times of disruption The disruptions around the pandemic started with displacement of people in both directions, from the place of work to the place of home and vice versa. Lack of information, communication, absence of logistics, absence of mobile health services, all of this compounded into a cascade of events leading to major dislocations that impacted lives and livelihood of people. When such dislocations happen, the corporates suffer in the form of production losses, delivery delays and rising cost of sales. Concerted preventive work needs to be done in a planned manner as in remote locations that depend on migrant workers, all of these cannot be left for government support only as has been the case in the last pandemic.
Facilitating skill development centres at the industrial cluster Skill development is one of the central tenets of CSR activities, which needs to be also seen in the light of those specific skills that are in short supply in the cluster where the unit operates. Investments in this area have to go up many times to ensure that rigid dependence on migrant labour can be minimised. Skill development is more than just the numbers and hours, but actually ensuring the quality of skills to match what skilled migrant labour provide, whether in the area of masonry, carpentry, fitter or technician to the specialised skills around kiln maintenance.
Employability improvement program at the cluster This is the final step to ensure that skills developed in the cluster are retained through employment in the cluster, which is a logical progression of the theme. Schemes that focus on a comprehensive skill development program that is targeted to certain specialised jobs in the industrial activities of the cluster, will make the circle complete. Cement industrial complexes in remote settings suffer from local skills and while the migrant labour fills up this void, it remains the responsibility of the unit to create a sustainable supply of labour that will create continuity of operations. This is more than just CSR, it is a core business challenge that we are talking about here. Take kiln maintenance, refractory lining, replacement, overhauling of key equipment and none of this can be done with only the local skills available at the cluster. A crisis like the pandemic has taught us that those skills, which make our units run efficiently, more often than not, come from the distant quarters in our land. If we take care of these migrant labour in times of crisis, we could do better in staving off major disruptions. Having a more long-term view on this will lead us to make changes in the way we look at skill development in the clusters of industrial activities. This is where CSR moves to a value creating role, both for industrial progress as well as for the society where such activities are entrenched.
Centrum, a financial services firm, has reported that cement prices are likely to remain largely unchanged in July as weak demand during the monsoon season constrains pricing power. The report noted that construction activity remained subdued in the first quarter of fiscal year 2027 owing to labour shortages and slower execution of government projects. While June showed some volume recovery driven by delayed monsoons and quarter end sales, dealers are cautious about sustaining any price increases.
The analysis suggested that seasonal slowdown related to monsoon will prolong demand and pricing challenges through the second quarter. Dealers saw most recent attempts at price hikes as protective measures rather than genuine shifts in market fundamentals. They signalled that pockets of demand in select regions could prompt isolated adjustments but that broad based increases were unlikely while construction activity remained weak. Market participants therefore expected a cautious stance on pricing.
The report highlighted that despite intermittent recovery in shipments during June, the underlying demand trajectory remained muted as monsoon hampered site level activity and logistics. Commercial builders and retail dealers both reported constrained order books and slower payment cycles, which in turn reduced room for margin expansion among manufacturers. Analysts noted that unless government project execution accelerates markedly, demand improvement would be gradual. Price setters were thus likely to focus on protecting market shares rather than pursuing aggressive increases.
Market watchers said the near term outlook would be shaped by monsoon progress and fiscal spending patterns, with any acceleration in public works offering the most tangible support. Traders expected that regional variations would persist and that trade flows between surplus and deficit centres would determine local price movements. The report concluded that stakeholders should prepare for a period of subdued pricing until demand signals strengthen.
A report by Centrum said cement prices are expected to remain largely flat in July as the monsoon and weak demand weigh on the sector. The report said demand during the first quarter of FY27 remained range-bound and below expectations, with dealers across markets pointing to subdued construction activity, labour shortages, elections, heatwaves and slower execution of government projects as key reasons. It noted that some recovery was witnessed in June due to delayed onset of the monsoon and quarter-end volume push.\n\nDealers across most markets do not expect any meaningful price increases in July, the report said, adding that attempts to raise prices in some markets are aimed at defending existing levels rather than achieving significant gains. The sharp correction following the rollback of April hikes has largely played out across most regions, limiting scope for further immediate increases. Seasonal slowdown in construction activity during the monsoon is expected to continue affecting demand and pricing in the coming months.\n\nCentrum indicated that pricing pressure is likely to persist through the second quarter of FY27 as monsoon-related softness continues. Dealers remain cautious about sustainability of any price rise attempts and do not rule out further weakness during the peak monsoon period. The combination of subdued demand and seasonal factors is likely to constrain the industry’s ability to raise prices in the near term. While June saw some improvement in volumes because of delayed rains and quarter-end sales efforts, the broader demand environment remains challenging.\n\nCement companies are therefore expected to focus on maintaining current price levels rather than pursuing aggressive increases as the sector navigates weak demand and seasonal headwinds. The report suggested that unless demand conditions improve significantly, limited scope will exist for meaningful price recovery. Market participants remain watchful for any shifts in execution of infrastructure projects or construction activity that could alter the outlook.
Transformers and Rectifiers (India) Limited has received Notifications of Awards from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) for multiple contracts to manufacture transformers and undertake associated works. The company submitted the disclosure to BSE and the National Stock Exchange under Regulation 30 of the SEBI Listing Regulations. The submission cited security code 532928 and trading symbol TARIL, and the filings cite the award reference and confirm execution in accordance with the terms and conditions stipulated in the notifications.
The contracts are described as an Ultra Mega Order under the company classification, indicating a value at or above Rs 10 billion (bn) on conversion. The filing identifies the contracts as domestic orders and specifies a scheduled delivery period of 30 months. The scope covers manufacturing of transformers of various ratings together with all associated work. The order size places it in the highest project classification defined in the company’s disclosure.
The disclosure states that the promoter group and group companies have no interest in the awarding entity and that the contracts do not constitute related party transactions. The company noted that the awards will be executed in the normal course of business and not fall within related party transactions. The document reiterates that the company is committed to delivering high quality products and services and has established itself as a leading manufacturer of transformers in the country over time.
Chief Financial Officer Mehul Shah authorised the filing and requested the exchanges to take the information on record, with the company providing the requisite filing reference in its submission. The company indicated that the orders will be executed as per the notifications of awards and the applicable regulatory framework. The original filing is available on the stock exchange portal at the provided link.