240 Products Brought Under Mandatory Quality Control Orders In 2024

New Delhi, Jan 1 (KNN) India is set to subject a minimum of 240 new items, including electric fans, freezers, water bottles, sanitary napkins, aluminum cans, and plywood, to compulsory quality control in 2024, according to two officials who requested anonymity.

This move aims to encourage Indian manufacturers to produce high-quality products for local consumers and gain a competitive edge in overseas markets, reported HT.

Stringent Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for the domestic manufacturing or imports of these items have already been notified and will be implemented on specific dates throughout 2024, starting January 1, the officials added.

The initiative is designed to curb the influx of low-quality Chinese products in the Indian market, one official noted.

QCOs for approximately two dozen goods proposed by the Ministry of Textiles and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will take effect immediately on the first day of 2024, according to another official.

These products include needle-punched non-woven geobags, polypropylene multifilament woven geobags, jute geotextiles, various types of geotextiles, high-density polyethylene, geostrip used as soil reinforcement, household refrigerating appliances, and freezers.

Additional QCOs issued by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, DPIIT, and the Steel Ministry, numbering about three dozen, will come into effect later in January.

Some of these items include polyethylene material for molding, utility lighters, potable water bottles made of copper, stainless steel, and aluminum, insulated flasks and containers, flush bolts, stainless steel sliding door bolts, and ferronickel.

Quality Control Orders (QCOs) operate under a World Trade Organisation (WTO)-compliant mechanism, allowing a country to make compliance with its standards compulsory for selling specified goods in its market.

This is done to protect human, animal, or plant health, prevent unfair trade practices, and safeguard national security.

QCOs issued by the central government make Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification mandatory for selling notified goods in India, applicable to both domestic manufacturers and importers. Non-compliance can result in fines, imprisonment, or both.

In February, mandatory BIS certifications will be triggered for another three dozen products, including morpholine, methanol, electric ceiling fans, fire extinguishers, domestic gas stoves, stainless steel cookware, stainless steel sinks, aluminum cans for beverages, veneered particle boards, cast iron manhole covers and frames, and various types of plywood.

Additionally, around 145 QCOs will take effect on different dates between March and November.

These items include ethylene dichloride, polycarbonate, foil for pharmaceutical packaging, sanitary napkins, disposable baby diapers, shoe covers, bed sheets and pillow covers, bitumen drums, non-metal helmets for firemen, industrial safety helmets, braided nylon ropes for mountaineering, safes, rubber gaskets for pressure cookers, and water treatment systems for drinking.

The first official emphasised that QCOs align with the government’s vision of "Make in India, Make for the World."

For instance, the enforcement of QCOs on toys in January 2021 led to a 60 per cent increase in India's toy exports and a 70 per cent decrease in imports, mitigating health risks associated with substandard toys largely imported from China, he added.

(KNN Bureau)