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Every Quality Control Orders (QCO) introduced so far has eventually earned the support of the sectors because they have not only improved product quality but also helped Indian manufacturers access larger markets, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.
The government is committed to building a system that ensures consumer safety and industry competitiveness, stated Minister Piyush Goyal, while emphasising on the importance of implementation of QCO for electrical appliances at the Stakeholder Meet convened by DPIIT in New Delhi this week. The meet discussed the issues being faced by the industry in the implementation of Horizontal QCO on "Safety of household, commercial and Similar Electrical Appliances" notified by DPIIT on September 20, 2024. The industry presented their concerns and highlighted issues faced by them. According to a statement from the commerce ministry, industry overwhelmingly supported the intent behind QCOs to ensure only high-quality products to be manufactured and sold in India. However, they requested for notifying QCOs 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. A phased rollout was also proposed. Major concerns raised by the Industry inter alia included the following- ambiguity as regards to coverage of DC Supplied Appliances and Battery-Operated appliances; non-availability of product manuals and test labs all 85 appliances included in the illustrative list; lack of certification by domestic manufacturers as well as foreign manufacturers; insufficient time available for getting the BIS certification for domestic as well as foreign manufacturers; addressing the issue of legacy stock and non-acceptance of non-BIS marked products on e-commerce platform. During the meeting, the commerce 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. He requested industry to come up with the proposal for setting up more testing facilities with modern technology in public funded labs, labs in public sector enterprises and labs in State Government institution etc. so that that robust and accessible testing infrastructure will be made available for the industry pan India. Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry mentioned that "the Ministry remains firmly committed to a consultative and collaborative approach in implementing QCOs. Together, let us ensure that 'Made in India' globally stands for safety, quality, and trust." DPIIT is working towards ensuring sectoral readiness for the QCO and identifying gaps in testing infrastructure to ensure a smooth rollout. DPIIT 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 the proactive participation of representatives from leading Industry players and Industry Associations like CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, CEAMA, RAMA, ICEA, IFMA, SMTA as well as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). (ANI)
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