New Delhi, Nov 25 (IANS): The government should incentivise the manufacturing and usage of eco-friendly cement, according to a stakeholder in the sector.

Himansh Verma, Founder & Chairman of Navrattan Group said that the Centre, along with the cement industry, must push harder for an eco-friendly alternative to regular Portland cement.

"Along with creating more public awareness, I would also suggest that the government should incentivise the manufacture and usage of such cement so as to give people more reasons to indulge in this practice," he said.

Verma was of the view that eco-friendly cement is the future of the industry.

"We are at the crossroads of the future, with Covid-19 pandemic, global warming, environmental degradation, etc. The only way out of it is to go green," said the Chairman of the green cement manufacturer.

He also noted that along with incentives, the government should reach out to the manufacturers with proper regulations.

On the demand scenario of eco-friendly cements, Verma said that Indian cement industry is the second-largest producer in the world and considering that cement buying is not an "impulse-buy" commodity, its rising demand in both urban and rural milieu is a strong indicator of a robust economic activity nationally.

For September and October 2020, the industry reported consecutive double-digit growth, he said.

"By 2030, the cement consumption is expected to be more than double. The present production capacity will have to work overtime to match that demand and, in doing so, it is highly likely that India will become the world's largest producer of concrete," he said.

He noted that India will be producing more cement than China by 2030 which may also lead to more threat of pollution. Keeping the downside in mind, he hopes that people would go for eco-friendly cement.