Chemicals and Petrochemicals Secretary Surjit Kumar Chaudhary today called upon the construction chemical industry to market its products and work as an organized sector.
He said the government would act as a facilitator and continue to support the sector, but the industry had to promote itself to change people's perception.
The industry being disintegrated, was not being promoted appropriately, he added.
Delivering the inaugural address at the sixth National Conference on Construction Chemicals 2015 on the theme 'Construction Chemicals Industry as Enabler for Smart Cities' organized by FICCI in association with the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Chaudhary pointed out that the biggest challenge for the industry was environmental compliance.
He assured that his department was working relentlessly with the Environment Ministry to resolve the issue while keeping a balanced approach. He added that industry should look at adhering to the prescribed standards to avoid roadblocks.
He said that the domestic industry was unable to keep pace with the demand, hence two-thirds of the construction chemicals was being imported.
Chaudhary urged the industry to turn this challenge into an opportunity and suggested that the gap should be bridged by local construction chemicals manufacturers. Meanwhile, he added that the government was addressing the issue of FTAs and inverted duty structure.
He stated that optimistic promotion of the sector's products was necessary.
Quoting the example of discouraging use of plastics, Chaudhary said that plastic was an integral part of all our activities.
The inappropriate disposal of plastic was the main cause of concern, hence if use and disposal of plastic was rightly promoted then it could become a game changer for India's growth story, he said.
He added that the right use of plastic in agriculture could enhance productivity significantly.
On the occasion, Chaudhary released a 'Knowledge and Strategy Paper on Construction Chemicals'.
