CAN INDIA'S QUALITY DRIVE KEEP ITS MANUFACTURING BOOM ON TRACK?

India's manufacturing story is gathering pace, but the rapid rise of quality control orders may be creating both winners and worries.

- 

India’s manufacturing sector has been buzzing with energy this year. Factories are busier, new orders are flowing in, and optimism is running high. In October 2025, India’s manufacturing index touched its highest level in five years, reflecting strong domestic demand and rising output. The numbers tell a story of progress. Yet behind the upbeat mood, there’s a quieter conversation happening about quality and whether India’s new wave of quality control regulations is helping or hindering its manufacturing ambitions.

A recent study by the Centre for Social and Economic Progress takes a close look at this. The report, “Decoding India’s Quality Control Orders,” published in September 2025, explores how India's quality control system has expanded under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act. Over the past few years, the number of these Quality Control Orders, or QCOs, has exploded from just 88 in 2019 to more than 760 by the end of 2024. The goal is to raise the bar for safety, reliability, and domestic value addition. But the study finds that this rapid expansion may also be causing some unexpected problems.