Economy & Market

Core sector grew by 1.3% in Dec 2019

Published

7 years ago

January 2, 2020

admin

The core sector growth for December 2019 improved and grew by 1.3 per cent as against the 0.6 per cent contraction seen a month ago. However, it was lower than 2.1 per cent growth witnessed in December 2018.

During the first nine months of the fiscal year 2019-20, the fiscal deficit of the central government has surpassed its budgeted estimate. During April-December 2020, the actual fiscal deficit was at 132.4 per cent of the budget target. The fiscal deficit during this period was Rs 9.4 lakh crore, higher than higher than the budgeted Rs 7.04 lakh crore for FY20. Lower tax collections and lower disinvestment proceeds coupled with significant growth seen in both revenue and capital expenditure has led to higher fiscal deficit.

The revenue receipts collection was lower at only 58.4 per cent of the budget estimate lower than 62.8 per cent seen in the corresponding period last year.

Tax collections were low at 54.9 per cent of the budgeted estimate for FY20. The decline has been on account of lower corporate tax collection, integrated GST, customs and service tax.

Non-tax revenue was higher at 77.3 per cent of the budget estimate compared with 60.3 per cent in the corresponding period last year. These are aided by higher receipts by way of dividends and profits (99 per cent of the budgeted).

Capital receipts are only 25.9 per cent of the budget estimate much lower than the 50.5 per cent in the comparable period last year.

Only 17 per cent of the disinvestment budgeted target has been achieved during the first nine months of FY20, lower than the 43 per cent last year. Disinvestment proceeds amounted to Rs 18,100 crore out of Rs 1.05 lakh crore budget target.

Revenue expenditure is on par with last year at 75.7 per cent of the budget target.

Capital expenditure is higher at 75.6 per cent of budget compared with 70.6 per cent in the comparable period last year indicative of focus of the government on asset creation.

We are expecting around 0.5 per cent slippage in the fiscal deficit, which is expected to move to 3.8 per cent of GDP for FY20.

Core Sector update -December 2019
The core sector growth for December 2019 improved and grew by 1.3 per cent as against the 0.6 per cent contraction seen a month ago. However, it was lower than 2.1 per cent growth witnessed in December 2018. The growth has been aided by improvement in the production in 3 industries namely refinery products, coal and fertilizers. In terms of cumulative growth in the eight core industries during April-December 2019, the growth was 0.2 per cent compared with the 4.8 per cent growth registered during April-December 2018.

Industry-wise growth:

Coal production increased by 6.1 per cent in December 2019 over December 2018 with after sustained contraction seen in the previous five months.

Crude Oil production declined by 7.4 per cent in the month compared with the contraction by 4.3 per cent in the comparable month a year ago.

The production of the natural gas too has contracted by 9.2 per cent as against 4.2 per cent growth seen in December 2018 registering sustained contraction for the nine months.

Refinery products, which have highest weight in core sector, grew by 3 per cent as against a contraction by -4.8 per cent in December 2018.

Fertilizers have seen a double digit growth by 10.2 per cent in December 2019 as against -2.3 per cent de-growth seen in December 2018.

Steel production increased by 1.9 per cent in December 2019, after registering sustained contraction in the past 3 months. It is also lower than the 10.1 per cent growth seen in December 2018.

The production of cement grew by 5.5 per cent higher than previous month (4.3 per cent in November 2019) but it was much lower than the 11.6 per cent growth seen in December 2018.

Electricity production contracted for the successive fifth month in December 2019 by 1.9 per cent as against the 4.4 per cent growth seen in the corresponding month a year ago.

CARE Ratings- view
Based on the core sector growth, IIP is expected to grow by 2 per cent for December 2019 which would also be aided by the base effect. We are expecting IIP to grow by 4 per cent for FY20.

COURTESY: CARE RATINGS- Fiscal and Core Sector Update
Disclaimer: This report is prepared by CARE Ratings Ltd. CARE Ratings has taken utmost care to ensure accuracy and objectivity while developing this report based on information available in public domain. However, neither the accuracy nor completeness of information contained in this report is guaranteed. CARE Ratings is not responsible for any errors or omissions in analysis/inferences/views or for results obtained from the use of information contained in this report and especially states that CARE Ratings has no financial liability whatsoever to the user of this report.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Madan Sabnavis is Chief Economist. He can be contacted on: madan.sabnavis@careratings.com or 91-22-68374433

Dr Rucha Ranadive is Economist. She can be contacted on: rucha.ranadive@careratings.com or 91-22-68374406

Concrete

Wonder Cement appoints Mahesh Singh as VP Corporate Brand Communication

Published

3 days ago

October 9, 2026

admin

Singh brings 20+ years of brand and marketing experience, and will lead integrated corporate brand communication initiatives at Wonder Cement

New Delhi

Wonder Cement, a leading cement manufacturer, has appointed Mahesh Singh as Vice President – Corporate Brand Communication. In his new role, he will oversee corporate brand strategy and communication, including digital and performance marketing, public relations, trade, events, exhibitions, sports and experiential marketing.

Singh brings over two decades of experience across marketing and communications, with roles spanning the automotive industry, agencies and entrepreneurship. He spent more than a decade with Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, working across integrated communication, media, digital, retail and consumer engagement. His stint also included helping build the company’s digital marketing capabilities.

He moved to dentsu X India as Vice President – Strategy & Planning, working across categories such as automotive, auto components, electric vehicles, FMCG, consumer electronics, BFSI, apparel and brand consulting. His responsibilities included media and marketing strategy, product launches, content, performance marketing and consumer activations.

Singh subsequently took an entrepreneurial route with Radiant Brands before joining Shriram Ltd (SPR Autotech) as Head – Marketing & Communications. There, his remit included brand and corporate strategy, communications, PR and ORM, retail identity, loyalty programmes and events.

At Wonder Cement, Singh will be responsible for bringing together the company’s corporate brand communication initiatives across digital, performance marketing, PR, trade, sports and experiential platforms. The role will focus on creating an integrated approach to communication across consumers, trade partners and other key stakeholders.

The appointment brings to Wonder Cement a marketer whose career has spanned the brand, agency and entrepreneurial sides of the communications ecosystem.

Wonder Cement, part of the RK Group, is a cement manufacturer with roots in Rajasthan and a focus on quality, trust and transparency. The company has grown to six manufacturing plants, and a cement capacity of 21.5 MTPA. With more than 2,000 employees and a network of over 5,000 dealers, its operations span manufacturing, distribution and customer engagement, with a focus on consistent product quality and efficient execution.

Concrete

JSW Cement commissions additional 1 MTPA grinding unit at Nagaur

Published

4 days ago

October 8, 2026

admin

With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA,
Mumbai

JSW Cement, one of India’s leading green cement producers and part of the diversified JSW Group, today announced the successful commissioning of an additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit at Nagaur, Rajasthan. The commissioning marks another significant milestone in the Company’s growth strategy.

With this commissioning, JSW Cement’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 25.10 MTPA, while its total clinker manufacturing capacity, including clinker capacity at its joint venture, JSW Cement FZC, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

JSW Cement had commenced operations in North India in March 2026 with the Nagaur Integrated Plant, comprising a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit. With the commissioning of the additional 1.00 MTPA cement grinding unit, the plant’s total cement grinding capacity has increased to 3.50 MTPA, enhancing the company’s ability to cater to the growing cement demand across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region (NCR). The expansion has been funded through a strategic mix of equity and long-term debt.

During the quarter ended 30th September 2026, JSW Cement has also commissioned the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) at the Nagaur Integrated Plant.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, said: “The commissioning of additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity at Nagaur is a key strategic priority for us and will accelerate JSW Cement’s expansion into North India. We look forward to servicing the growing needs of the region and contributing to the economic growth of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR area. I am delighted to share that the company has commissioned this grinding unit within the expected timeline, showcasing our project execution capabilities. Further, the Alternate Fuel Handling System and the Waste Heat Recovery system (WHRS) are expected to substantially reduce our production costs going forward.”

Concrete

UltraTech becomes first Indian cement firm to cross 2 GW green energy

Published

5 days ago

October 7, 2026

admin

UltraTech Cement has crossed 2 GW of captive green energy capacity, with renewables and waste heat recovery meeting 48 per cent of its power needs.

Mumbai

UltraTech Cement Limited has surpassed 2 GW of installed green energy capacity for captive use, becoming the first cement company in India to achieve the milestone. The Aditya Birla Group company commissioned 116.55 MW of wind capacity at its Inter-State Transmission System-connected wind-solar hybrid project in Barmer, Rajasthan, along with 10 MW of Waste Heat Recovery System capacity at Sarlanagar Cement Works in Karnataka.

With these additions, UltraTech’s cumulative installed green energy capacity has reached 2,024 MW. This includes 1,580 MW of renewable energy capacity and 444 MW of waste heat recovery capacity, together meeting around 48 per cent of the company’s current power requirements.

The company said the milestone reflects the progress of its long-term energy transition strategy. In FY27 so far, nearly one-third of UltraTech’s 76 manufacturing units in India have maintained green energy utilisation above 50 per cent of their electricity requirements, while five units have crossed 95 per cent.

K C Jhanwar, Managing Director, UltraTech Cement Limited, said, “Crossing the 2 GW green energy milestone is the result of a strategy we have pursued consistently over the past decade. Cement is an energy-intensive, hard-to-abate sector, and showing that reliability and growth can go hand in hand with a rapid shift to green energy sets a benchmark for the industry. With nearly half of our power needs now met through green energy, we are significantly less exposed to fossil fuel supply constraints and power price volatility. As we scale up renewables, waste heat recovery and battery storage across our operations, we are building an energy foundation for stable, long-term growth.”

UltraTech commissioned 430 MW of green energy capacity in FY26 and continues to expand its renewable energy and waste heat recovery portfolio.

The company is also progressively integrating Battery Energy Storage Systems across its operations to improve renewable energy utilisation and supply reliability.

In 2025, UltraTech operationalised what it described as India’s first on-site hybrid round-the-clock renewable energy project at Sewagram Cement Works in Gujarat. The project combines solar, wind and battery storage.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, UltraTech said it has not invested in new captive thermal power capacity for either greenfield projects or brownfield expansions at its integrated units for more than a decade.

The company said its expanding green energy portfolio is helping reduce dependence on conventional grid electricity and fossil fuel-based power, while lowering exposure to fluctuations in coal and electricity prices.

UltraTech aims to increase green energy’s share in its total power mix to 85 per cent by 2030. As a member of RE100, it has also committed to meeting 100 per cent of its electricity requirement through renewable sources by 2050.

UltraTech Cement, the cement flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has a total grey cement capacity of 210.1 MTPA and white cement and putty capacity of 3.5 MTPA. The company is also a signatory to the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and has committed to the GCCA Net Zero Concrete roadmap.