K M Birla's remuneration from UltraTech falls 18.8% to Rs 15.5 crore

UltraTech's Chairman and Non-Executive Director Kumar Mangalam Birla received an annual remuneration Rs 15.53 crore in FY 2018-19, down 18.82 per cent over the year-ago period, even as the largest cement producer posted a double digit growth in its topline.

Birla, 52, had received an annual salary of Rs 19.13 crore in FY 2017-18.

Since the last two years, Birla's remuneration is on a decline. In FY 2016-17, Birla had received Rs 22.50 crore.

Notwithstanding this decline, Birla's salary was 202.9 times higher than the median remuneration paid to UltraTech employees in FY 2018-19, according to the company's latest annual report.

Earlier, it was 387.9 times higher in FY 2016-17 and 375.2 times in FY 2017-18 respectively, against the median remuneration of UltraTech employees.

"The median remuneration of employees of the company during the financial year was Rs 7.65 lakh," said the annual report adding "in the financial year, there was an increase of 8.5 per cent in the median remuneration of employees."

Besides, UltraTech Managing Director K K Maheshwari also took 4.76 per cent lesser salary at Rs 12.96 crore in the last fiscal year, ended March 31, 2019.

"Average percentage increase made in the salaries of employees other than the managerial personnel, in the last financial year 2018-19 was 8.8 per cent whereas decline in the managerial remuneration for the same financial year was 11.8 per cent," the UltraTech Annual Report 2018-19 said.

UltraTech, had 19,557 permanent employees on its rolls as on March 31, 2019.

The company has 21 integrated plants in 2019 with a installed capacity of 102.8 million tons per annum (MTPA).

For FY 2018-19, UltraTech net turnover on consolidated basis was at Rs 36,775 crore and profit after tax was at Rs 2,432 crore.

The company has acquired Binani Cement, which has an installed capacity of 6.25 mtpa and renamed as UltraTech Nathdwara Cement in FY 2018-19.

"In the next fiscal, with the acquisition of Century Cement, we expect UltraTech's installed capacity to scale up to over 113 mtpa," Birla said.

The company expects a growth of around 8 per cent in this ongoing fiscal led by government's renewed thrust on infrastructure development through the construction of roads, metro rail projects, airports renovation, irrigation projects.

"We remain optimistic in our outlook for the cement sector in FY20 and expect the industry to grow at 7 to 8 per cent," said Birla.