India: Representatives of Adani Group and cement truck drivers' unions attended talks held by the Himachal Pradesh state government, after the group closed two cement plants in the state, claiming that their costs were prohibitively high. The government appointed Himachal Consultancy Organisation to guide truck unions in reaching an agreement on new freight rates. Adani Group chair Gautam Adani said that transport costs per tonne of cement were US$1.30/km in upland areas and US$0.66/km in lowland areas. The state government previously raised value added tax (VAT) rates on diesel by 68% to US$0.09/l, resulting in total diesel costs of US$1.05/l.
