Indian Standards Priority: Consumer Affairs Secy Urges Ministries

New Delhi, Feb 13 (PTI) Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Kare on Thursday urged all ministries to give priority to Indian standards.

"Implementation of Indian Standards should be accorded top priority," said Khare, while chairing an inter-ministerial meeting on Implementation of Standards - Bringing more products under Quality Control Orders (QCOs).

The secretary emphasized the role of QCOs in achieving the aim of 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat" considering its twin objectives of uplifting quality ecosystem in domestic market and curbing sub-standard imports, according to an official statement.

She appealed to all the Ministries to prioritise Indian Standards.

The discussions during the meeting focused on the importance of Standards and its benefits through QCOs, which enforce mandatory compliance to standards for various products and play a vital role in protecting public health & safety and enhancing the competitiveness of industry, particularly Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The implementation of QCOs provides these businesses with a level playing field by ensuring that all market players meet the same quality standards.

The meeting witnessed participation from representatives of nearly 17 Union Ministries and Departments, including Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Ministry of Steel, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC), and Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), among others.

The Department of Consumer Affairs briefed on the positive impact of the Quality Control Order (QCO) on the toy industry.

The introduction and implementation of the QCO for Toys has led to remarkable improvements in both safety and quality standards for toys manufactured and sold in India.

"The status of 628 products which are under consideration at the Ministries/ Departments for bringing them under QCOs was also reviewed during the meeting," the statement said.

The discussions concluded with a consensus for expediting the timelines for implementing QCOs for these products, which will further strengthen India's commitment to improving product quality and impetus on Atma Nirbhar Bharat across different sectors.

Compliance with standards is voluntary unless made mandatory under Section 16 of the BIS Act, 2016. All ministries and departments of the Government are empowered in this regard.

A detailed stakeholder consultation is carried out with the industry before notifying and implementing QCOs.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standards Body and is responsible for standardization, marking and quality certification of goods.