Roll back quality control orders on inputs to spur manufacturing

Such QCOs hold back the competitiveness of manufacturers and ending them could catapult our factory sector to a new orbit

- AMITABH KANT & DIEWAKARR ANUPAM MITTAL

It has finally begun and it deserves recognition. A long-awaited overhaul of India’s quality-control regime is taking shape. In just the past week, key ministries have moved decisively to withdraw or amend quality control orders (QCOs) on up to 76 products.

On 12 November 2025, the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers abolished QCOs for several input materials, including terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol, polyester spun yarn, polyester yarn, EVA copolymers, polycarbonates and others. This step eases compliance pressures across textiles, chemicals, plastics and downstream manufacturing. On 13 November, the ministry of mines issued a notification withdrawing QCOs on base metals and alloys such as aluminum and aluminum alloys, nickel, refined nickel, tin ingots, refined zinc, copper and primary lead. The ministry of heavy industries has notified its Machinery and Electrical Equipment Safety (Omnibus Technical Regulation) Second Amendment Order, 2025, effectively pushing QCO implementation forth. Additionally, the ministry of steel has decided to suspend QCOs on 55 steel products, most of which are inputs.

The government's move to strike down QCOs dating back to September 2021 marks India’s willingness to support businesses and strengthen our competitiveness by embracing a more open, rules-based economic order. For industries long weighed down by the friction of compliance, this is like the first gust of wind before a much-needed monsoon. It is more than administrative housekeeping; it is a signal that India is continuously recalibrating regulations to promote economic vitality, rather than stifle it.