Goyal to Consider QCO Deadline Extension for Electrical Appliances

New Delhi, May 16 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has agreed to consider the domestic industry's request to extend the implementation timeline of the quality control order (QCO) for various electrical appliances, an official statement said on Friday.

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) convened a stakeholder consultation meeting under the chairmanship of the minister on May 15 to discuss the issues being faced by the industry in the implementation of horizontal QCO on "Safety of household, commercial and Similar Electrical Appliances" notified on September 20, 2024.

The industry raised its concerns and highlighted issues faced by them in the implementation of the order on various electrical appliances.

The DPIIT said that the industry supported the intent behind QCOs to ensure only high-quality products, but they requested for notifying these orders on finished goods first followed by QCOs on components and raw materials, considering the complexity of global supply chains.

They also recommended mapping domestic manufacturing capacities and available technologies to align compliance timelines, it said adding a phased rollout was also proposed.

Major concerns raised by the industry included ambiguity as regard to coverage of DC Supplied Appliances and Battery-Operated appliances; non-availability of product manuals and test labs; lack of certification by domestic manufacturers as well as foreign makers; insufficient time available for getting the BIS certification.

The minister "acknowledged concerns raised by the industry and agreed to consider the request to extend the implementation timeline of the QCO, as well as the issue of legacy stock," the department said.

Goyal requested the industry to come up with a proposal for setting up more testing facilities with modern technology in public funded labs, labs in public sector enterprises and labs in state government institutions so that robust and accessible testing infrastructure will be made available for the industry pan- India.

The DPIIT is working towards ensuring sectoral readiness for the QCO and identifying gaps in testing infrastructure to ensure a smooth rollout.

It is closely working with BIS to streamline the testing and certification ecosystem, making it more accessible, efficient, and affordable, particularly for MSMEs.

The meeting witnessed participation of representatives from leading industry players and associations like CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, CEAMA, RAMA, ICEA, IFMA, SMTA as well as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).