GTRI Calls For Detailed DPIIT Guidelines On New Quality Certification Framework

New Delhi, Jun 27 (KNN) The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) notified the Transition Facilitation (Quality Control) Order, 2026 on June 25, creating an alternative compliance pathway under ten selected Quality Control Orders covering products including toys, personal protective equipment, air conditioners, footwear, furniture and domestic electrical appliances.

While the reform seeks to ease longstanding delays in obtaining mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certifications, think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) noted that it may simply trade one bottleneck for another. 

GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said, "The reform is expected to reduce one of the biggest operational problems facing India's QCO regime by easing dependence on BIS factory inspections. But critics are likely to argue that it merely replaces one regulatory hurdle with another."

Instead of waiting for BIS factory inspections, manufacturers must now obtain approval from an inter-ministerial Implementation Committee chaired by DPIIT — one that carries broad discretionary powers with no clearly defined timelines or objective eligibility criteria.

Srivastava said the committee's mandate extends well beyond product conformity to include assessments of technology adoption, research and development capability, localisation and domestic supply-chain contribution. 

This effectively transforms India’s quality-control regime into a ‘QCO Plus’ system, he added, noting that market access depends as much on satisfying industrial policy objectives as on meeting technical standards.

Eligibility Concerns

GTRI also flagged that only companies incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013 are eligible to apply, which would effectively exclude most foreign manufacturers without an established Indian corporate presence — limiting the reform's practical reach for overseas suppliers.

What GTRI Recommends

Srivastava said the success of the new framework will depend entirely on how efficiently and transparently the Implementation Committee functions, and laid out specific recommendations for DPIIT.

He noted that the DPIIT should issue detailed operational guidelines outlining eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, evaluation methods and processing timelines, adding that decisions must be based on transparent, measurable parameters to ensure consistency and reduce industry uncertainty.

It recommended a fully digital application and tracking system with decisions taken within 60 to 90 days, along with a formal mechanism for appeal or review of rejected applications. 

GTRI also urged DPIIT to periodically publish anonymised data on applications received, approvals granted, average processing times and reasons for rejection.

(KNN Bureau)