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The Centre plans to bring more products under the ambit of mandatory Quality Control Orders (QCO). Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said that nearly an additional 2500 items are expected to come under mandatory quality norms.
Addressing the 77th Foundation Day of Bureau of Indian Standards, Goyal said India should be a pioneer of standards and BIS should not just be an adopter of standards. He added that complying with high standards in products and services will enable the country to become a developed nation.
Outlining the future roadmap for BIS, Goyal stated that BIS should facilitate greater stakeholder engagement, nurture youth to become “Ambassadors of Quality”, strengthen testing facilities and fast-track approvals besides ensuring transparency in quality testing.
The Minister also said that Indian standards should be made compatible with international standards wherever possible. He pointed out that in products such as lifts, air filters and medical devices, India can be a front-runner in setting international standards.
Goyal added that 90 per cent of the Quality Control Orders have been implemented in the last few years. Till date, 156 QCOs have been issued, covering 672 products. “QCO’s are being processed in nearly 2500 more items, which reflects our commitment towards quality by providing high standards goods and services,” he added.
Applauding the efforts of BIS in hallmarking jewellery, Goyal pointed out that mandatory hallmarking now covers 343 districts. More than 4.3 lakh articles are hallmarked every day and 90 per cent jewellery that people are buying is hallmarked.
Similarly in toys too, the mandatory quality compliance has helped reduce the cheap imports by 52 per cent and now safe and quality toys are available in the Indian market, he added.
The Minister pointed out that, after studying gap analysis, a comprehensive network of state-of-the-art modern labs are set up to facilitate BIS and industry. BIS recently agreed to invest ₹40 crore to set up 21 labs for cotton testing, an official statement added.
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