I am a master in India

Chapter 243 Collusion between Officials and Businessmen

Chapter 243 Collusion between Officials and Businessmen
In July, the land of Uttar Pradesh is shrouded in heat.

The workers simply took off their clothes, revealing their black, shiny backs, and eagerly awaited their arrival under the scorching sun.

Today is a big day; the Suer Cement Plant will begin trial production.

Oh no, according to the sign at the factory gate, it should be called Suer Building Materials Company.

Ron and Ratan arrived in a car, and as soon as they appeared, the workers who had gathered there began to cheer.

"Long live the great Mr. Sur!" Muna stood at the front of the line, raising his fist and shouting.

He tied a yellow cloth strip around his head again, looking like a fighter, and the crowd chanted slogans in unison under his leadership.

Ron got out of the car and waved to everyone with a smile. The hot sunlight reflected off his sunglasses, making them dazzlingly bright.

"Muna is very good at this kind of thing." Ratan was very satisfied with the scene before him and felt a surge of pride.

“You think so too, right?” Ron stood in front of the factory, looking around.

In addition to various slogans, many workers were holding up his portrait.

Damn, this is like an election, so exaggerated!
“He did a great job. In India, you have to do this so that everyone remembers your face, especially the people who work for you.”

"The method is too simplistic and crude," Ron sighed, as if it were a game for children.

"But it works. These illiterate people can't read at all, and they can't even remember complicated slogans. But everyone can understand the portraits. Add a simple slogan, and everyone will shout it, day after day. Eventually, everyone will take you as the truth. My brother, this is the cornerstone of our rule."

Ron nodded; he knew Ratan was telling the truth. Propaganda in India wasn't that complicated; you didn't need any marketing strategies, just go for it.

Every election season, you'll see streets and alleys plastered with numerous similar campaign slogans.

Long live the great XXX Party! The ugly XXX Party, step down!
That's it all, as straightforward as it gets.

There's no other way; you have to make sure the poor can understand, because they are the main force in voting, while the rich don't need to vote.

"When will Yadav arrive?" The sun was scorching, and Ratan was getting impatient.

“Soon,” Ron said, raising his wrist to look at it. “He won’t miss a day like this.”

The recently popular Suer cement plant is about to start trial production, and the Chief Minister will naturally attend the groundbreaking ceremony.

No politician would miss such a good publicity opportunity.

Sure enough, within moments two cars sped towards them from the dirt road in the distance.

Yadav and his brother got off the bus and immediately struck a pose, waving to the crowd.

Several people with cameras got out of another car. They jogged over to Yadav and knelt down or squatted down to take pictures.

Yadav was all smiles, but when he saw that the workers were all holding portraits of Ron, his expression immediately turned sour.

Ron gave Muna a wink, and the latter immediately understood what to do.

"Long live the great Socialist Party!" He became a fighter once again.

"Support the great socialists!"

The increasingly loud slogans brightened Yadav's expression, and the kneeling reporters took even more photos.

"Well done," Yadav said as he came over to greet him.

"Thank you for your support," Ron said with a smile.

"Is everything alright today?"

"Of course, everything is ready."

As the group entered the factory area, towering towers, massive rotary kilns, and long conveying pipelines showcased the beauty of industry.

They wandered from one building to another, where promotional posters about Ron were everywhere.

His image is displayed either on billboards looking down, in safety posters gazing into the distance, or even on the walls of towers, where his smiling face is printed.

Next to it was a newly painted slogan: “Our leader: He knows the way, points the way, and forges ahead.”

Yes, these were also Muna's ideas.

In his words, the workers could see the great Mr. Sue whenever they looked up.

Very Indian, very distinctive.

Yadav saw it, but didn't say anything.

This is Ron's territory, his factory, and outsiders have no right to criticize it.

“Ron, you’re even more capable than I imagined.” Yadav was full of admiration at that moment.

“When I first came here, there weren’t even any roads. There were only a few scattered villages, low bushes and woods.”

Setting up mines and factories in such a place requires considerable courage. Few Indians can do it, at least not in Uttar Pradesh.

"How big is the whole project, and how long will it take?" Yadav noticed that in many places only the foundation had been laid.

"The first phase of the project will not be completed until next year. The power station, distribution center, and workers' dormitories are not yet ready. If there is subsequent expansion, the scale will be several times larger."

Right now, we're just rushing to get the production line up and running; the development of supporting infrastructure is being put off until last.

“This is the industrial jewel of Uttar Pradesh,” Yadav commented with an air of importance.

“It’s also proof of the minister’s foresight.” Ron reached out and led him into the workshop.

Cement production is not complicated; the difficulty lies in scaling up and requiring large investments.

The limestone mined from the mine undergoes initial crushing and secondary crushing, followed by homogenization to stabilize its composition. Then it is preheated, decomposed, and calcined into clinker. Finally, it is ground into cement powder while gypsum and other additives are added.

The entire production process does not require highly sophisticated equipment; anyone can manage it as long as they are willing to invest the money.

Preparations for all aspects were completed several days ago, making today's event more of a symbolic ceremony.

After Yadav nodded, Ron immediately ordered work to begin.

With a rumble, the massive conveyor belt started up, sending a continuous stream of crushed stones into the mill.

After the piercing noise, the semi-finished product is moved on to the next process.

The entire factory seemed like a colossal creature that had just awakened, shaking incessantly until the ground trembled slightly.

The outlet for finished cement is several hundred meters away, and it can be delivered by truck or in bags.

This batch was mostly for internal use, so trucks were already waiting below the discharge port. Soon, the dusty cement was fed into the truck bed, and the technical supervisor, Gao Er, had someone fetch some.

He rubbed it between his fingers, then smelled it, and his face lit up with joy.

"The quality is very good, better than most of those in North India."

"How much can we produce?" Yadav asked.

"If the trial production goes smoothly, the annual output is expected to reach 100,000 tons after the official production begins."

Trial production is used to verify the feasibility of the process and whether it meets expectations. Only after acceptance can large-scale production begin.

"One hundred thousand tons, not bad!" Yadav was very satisfied with this number.

"I recently heard that the state government is planning to expand the airport in Lucknow?" Ron asked, seemingly casually.

"Well, no decision has been made yet; we need to hold a meeting to discuss it."

“Sul Cement Plant’s offer is absolutely competitive, and our quality is impeccable,” Ron hinted.

Yadav was somewhat tempted, but still didn't agree. However, considering the special circumstances of the day, he changed the subject.

"Lucknow is planning to build a 200-kilometer highway through Kanpur. You can try bidding for it."

"That's wonderful!" Ron exclaimed with delight.

"You know the rules, right?"

"Of course, ten percent."

“Not bad,” Yadav nodded in satisfaction, glancing at the brand-new, bustling factory before nodding again. “Very good!”

After taking some photos and saying some empty words to the camera, Yadav left satisfied.

"This guy is asking for a 10% kickback right off the bat; he's treating us like easy prey." Ratan utterly despised Yadav's thuggish behavior.

“It’s already pretty good,” Ron sighed.

According to international standards, a 200-kilometer highway requires 600-900 tons of cement per kilometer.

But those who understand Indian standards know that a cement usage of 300 tons per kilometer is considered good.

This project requires a total of 6 tons of cement, which is a huge deal for Suer Cement Plant, to be honest.

Based on current market conditions, cement in Uttar Pradesh is priced between 1800 and 2500 rupees per ton.

What price is the Suer cement plant going to quote? 2500 rupees, of course!

In government bidding for projects, the highest bidder is always the one that everyone agrees to.

Of course, this is on the premise that Ron and Yadav have made a behind-the-scenes deal beforehand.

Yes, that is, collusion between officials and businessmen to get the project.

The total price for 6 tons of cement is 1.5 million rupees, a very considerable figure.

Ron's cement plant doesn't charge for raw materials; the only costs are energy consumption and labor.

Cement is an energy-intensive industry. In the calcination stage, the amount of coal consumed is almost 1:1 with the amount of cement produced.

Other equipment also requires additional electricity to operate, and these two components together account for about a quarter of the cement cost.

As for human labor, it is negligible.

The cement, valued at 1.5 million rubles, yielded a total profit of approximately 1.1 million rubles after deducting costs.

These infrastructure projects involving collusion between officials and businessmen are indeed extremely profitable.

Ron only needs to secure two more government projects to break even on his cement plant.

It's outrageous, even a bit unreal.

But that's not the most unbelievable part; Yadav's income will truly blow your mind.

According to the agreement, he was to take 1.5 million rupees out of the 150 million rupee project payment.

You think that's all? No, this is just the beginning.

As Chief Minister, he would develop plans according to the highest standards when applying for funding from New Delhi.

What does that mean? It means that 900 tons of cement are used per kilometer of highway, which is the highest standard.

But the actual figure is 300 tons, less than one-third of what was stated in the plan.

Where did the rest of the money go? Officials and other contractors in Lucknow have something to say.

This is India, where only 30% of the project budget is actually used for construction, and in some places it's not impossible for 10%-15% to be used for even more outrageous projects.

The remaining 70%-90% of the funds were embezzled by officials.

60,000 tons of cement, with a profit of over 90 million rupees, is not bad.

With the current output of the Suer Cement Plant, it is enough for the workers to operate at full capacity for more than half a year.

However, Ron wasn't very happy; he was thinking about other things.

"Does Yadav have some grievance against us?"

"Why do you say that?" Ratan asked, puzzled.

“We are the only cement plant in Uttar Pradesh, yet he hasn’t budged on the expansion project for Lucknow airport.”

"Does that thing use a lot of cement?"

“I just asked Gao, and there is a shortfall of at least 20 tons.”

"Hiss~" Ratan gasped.

That's a super order that can guarantee the Suer Cement Plant to operate at full capacity for two years.

“I have a feeling that he is considering whether to continue being our ally.”