Reimagining India's quality mandate

India's economic ambitions are bold—and rightly so. From a $4 trillion economy today to a targeted $30 trillion by 2047, the journey demands far more than just capital or scale—it demands trust in Indian products.

- DEEP KAPURIA

Quality, therefore, must not be seen as an afterthought but as core infrastructure. In this context, the Government of India's decision to gradually expand mandatory Quality Control Orders (QCOs) across products is both significant and consequential.

Yet, the QCO regime today finds itself mired in controversy. A policy instrument designed to assure quality and prevent the inflow of sub-standard goods is increasingly seen as a double-edged sword—welcomed by some, resisted by others, and internally contested within departments of the same government.

As someone who has served as chairman of the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) under the Quality Council of India (QCI), I have witnessed firsthand how quality frameworks—when well-calibrated—can empower both producers and consumers. But for QCOs to be truly transformative, India needs to course-correct. Not to retreat, but to reframe the mission with clarity, capability, and global alignment.

India's quality control framework, administered largely through the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), has traditionally been voluntary. However, in recent years, the government has expanded the scope of mandatory QCOs across critical sectors such as steel, polymers, electronics, and toys.

As of today, out of approximately 23,000 BIS standards, only 187 QCOs covering 769 products have been notified. This suggests that while the momentum is rising, the journey is far from complete.

Importantly, QCOs are not mere administrative notifications—they are enforceable legal instruments requiring producers, including foreign manufacturers, to certify their products through the BIS. Non-compliance can lead to seizure, penalties, or import blocks.

The implementation of QCOs has revealed several fault lines: