Government to import more cement from Pak

The government on Wednesday said it plans to further import 92,000 tonnes of cement from Pakistan to increase supply of the building material in the country and put a lid on its prices.

"The retail price of imported cement from Pakistan varies from Rs 200-220 per 50 kg bag, as compared with the average prevailing price of Rs 231 per bag of indigenously produced cement," Ashwani Kumar, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

Cement prices have been on the rise in the country, thereby raising housing prices and fuelling inflation.

Kumar said the cement from Pakistan, which will be imported through MMTC, has to conform to quality norms set by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

Inflation for the week ended March 1 was 5.11 per cent as compared with 5.02 per cent a week ago.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said the government will make every effort to check inflation.