Quality scrutiny to cover a wider product range soon

Over 1,500 items to be under quality standards; 37 ministries hold discussions

- Dhirendra Kumar

India is doubling down on its quality crusade, putting a range of domestic and imported goods under close scrutiny at a time protectionist walls are going up across the world. An exercise to improve product quality spanning 37 ministries is currently under way, three officials involved in the process said.

More than 1,500 products will be brought under stringent quality standards by the end of the current financial year under the watchful eye of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. Currently, 761 products are regulated by so-called quality control orders (QCOs), a form of non-tariff barrier that mandates tough parameters for domestic and imported goods.

Some of the items already included under QCOs in India are household appliance and industrial goods such as coffee makers, shavers, electrical appliances, vacuum cleaners, stainless steel utensils, toys, hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel strips and medical devices. The expansion of the QCO regime could bring items such as wheelchairs, full-body harness, self-locking gates, artificial limbs, sanitaryware and ceramic tiles under these standards.