MSMEs are important Foreign Exchange Earners for India and they should be supported in adopting International standards says, Minister of State Commerce
Updated: Jun 19, 2018 08:26:37am
MSMEs are important Foreign Exchange Earners for India and they should be supported in adopting International standards says, Minister of State Commerce
New Delhi, June 19 (KNN) MSMEs form the backbone of the commodity export from India and they need to be supported in adopting Standards.
This was said by the Minister of State Commerce C R Chaudhary while inauguration the 5th Standards Conclave at Delhi.
Chaudhary also mentioned about the National Strategy for Standardization being developed by his department and said that without full cooperation from Ministries, Industry and all stakeholders, the policy will not fructify.
The two day long Standards Conclave was organised to discuss the different aspects of Indian National Standards Strategy which has been put for consultation by the Government.
Number of speakers at the Conclave echoed the concern of the Minister on hand-holding the MSMEs to adopt and Standards to access the increasingly difficult international market.
It was also opined that MSMEs should be subsidized, through common testing facilities or otherwise to be standard compliant.
A complete session of the Conclave was dedicated to the role of the Conformity Assessment Bodies in ensuring compliance of standards.
The CABs commonly known as the third party auditors could play a major role in compliance of all standards including Environmental standards.
Experts opined during the session that as the issuing authority of compulsory standards, Government should not go for their implementation and rather the job may be left to the third party agencies.
Opinions were raised that as the implementer of Standards; be it on fertilizer quality or environment, Government has failed miserably and only enhanced the "Inspector Raj".
Self certification with third party surveillance may be the efficient option to enable industry in adopting standards, was the opinion. (KNN/ DB)