New web portal to aid infra and cement providers

NEW DELHI, Mar 10: To monitor the supply of cement in the country, a new web portal INAM-PRO - Platform for Infrastructure and Material Providers - has been designed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The Web Portal will facilitate the monitoring of the supply of cement and expedite the process of placing purchase orders by prospective users/ user agencies with the respective cement manufacturers. It shall ensure complete transparency in the supply of cement under the scheme, so as to achieve reduction in the cost of construction. INAM-PRO is a web-based application that would act as a common platform for Infrastructure material providers viz. Cement Companies, Infrastructure providers, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and other stakeholders. To start with, it would facilitate contractors/cement buyers engaged in executing the Central/State funded Roads and Highways/Bridge construction projects to place cement orders online with the registered cement companies offering cement at competitive rates in the vicinity of project execution locations. Cement companies can update their offered stock on the portal with the prices agreed upon with MoRTH. They would, in turn, get instant intimation about the orders placed and would be able to approve the delivery schedules as requested by the cement buyers without hassles and delays. This would also help cement companies plan their annual production in advance and schedule deliveries with better precision. Cement companies would also have the facility to increase their cement stock offerings based on market demand and reduce prices to attract more buyers. In addition, using INAM Pro, companies can track orders, add more products (grade/type), add cement offerings, view listed buyers, and submit their complaints/suggestions to Ministry. Similarly, Buyers would be able to view and track the orders placed with different companies and also submit their suggestions/complaints. With the help of INAM Pro, MoRTH can track and monitor the activities of buyers and suppliers, and remove impediments in the way of either of the parties (Cement Suppliers/Buyers), as well as help accelerate the execution of infrastructure projects in the msot cost effective manner. INAM Pro would also enhance transparency and allow both buyers and material providers to have a fair understanding of stocks, prices and orders placed. In the future, INAM-PRO would also have the potential to become a comprehensive window for infrastructure materials and technology providers to reach out to Infrastructure providers, and vice versa, to accelerate the pace of infrastructure creation in the most cost effective and efficient ways. The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has in the past issued guidelines for environment-friendly construction practices for the reduction of green house gases and has also specified the Life Cycle Cost Analysis as an essential component of infrastructure design. In accordance with this policy, the Ministry had decided that cement concrete pavement could be the default mode of construction for National Highways, considering the issues related to longer service life, fuel consumption, resistance to extreme weather conditions, saving of natural resources and maintenance etc. In light of this, the agencies preparing DPRs for the National Highway projects would be expected to list reasons as to why cement concrete pavement should not be adopted in specific National Highway projects and the Cost Benefit Analysis of rigid pavement vis-à-vis flexible pavement in each project must also be clearly brought out. As cement is manufactured indigenously and bitumen is a byproduct of imported crude oil, the use of cement in National Highways is in line with the ‘Make in India’ campaign. To bring down the rates of cement in the country, the Ministry had invited bids for the rates of various grades of cement from cement manufacturers in the country. The bids of 36 participating cement companies quoting rates from 103 factories along with ‘Terms and Conditions governing the supply of cement’ have been uploaded on the Ministry’s website. This aims to bring down the cost of inputs for infrastructure projects and create a win-win situation for all the stakeholders - the Government, cement manufacturers the contractors and the public.