India resets quality norms amid mounting WTO scrutiny

The shift follows a series of Quality Control Order withdrawals over the past few months

- Dhirendra Kumar

The Centre is shaping a wider and more deliberate standards strategy for 2026, moving to realign Quality Control Orders (QCOs) with actual testing and laboratory capacity while easing friction with key trading partners.

The shift follows a series of QCO withdrawals over the past few months and growing scrutiny at the World Trade Organization (WTO), prompting a recalibration that ties future QCOs to laboratory readiness, phased transitions, and clearer justification for regulatory intervention.

The new approach marks one of the most comprehensive resets of India’s quality regime since the QCO framework began expanding rapidly after 2014. The government had earlier set an ambitious target to eventually bring 2,000-2,500 products under mandatory quality norms. For FY26 alone, officials had planned to notify over 700 additional products under the QCO regime.