New Delhi, Feb 13 (KNN) A fresh quality control regime encompassing 145 steel products has been initiated by the government, as per a new gazette notification.

This new directive supersedes the previous quality control regime, which governed 111 products ranging from stainless steel pipes and tubes to primary cells and primary battery parts.

Notably, many of the quality control orders, including specifications for Steel Wire for Staples, Pins, and Clips, are immediately enforceable.

The directive explicitly states that any steel or steel product falling short of specified standards will be disposed of as scrap.

Among the products covered by the new Quality Control Orders (QCO) are Steel Chequered Plates, Mild steel for metal arc welding electrodes, and Mild steel wire rods for general engineering purposes, among others.

Quality control for Galvanized Structural Steel will come into effect in three months, while QCOs for Hot-dip Zinc Coating on Structural Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement, Ferrochromium, and Silicomanganese will be enforceable after six months.

In a move aimed at cracking down on substandard goods, the Centre had previously made it mandatory for importers to obtain approval from the Steel Ministry for imports not cleared by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

This decision followed the issuance of a quality control order by the BIS for various steel products, with importers now required by the Centre to seek prior quality approval for import consignments intended for local sale.

(KNN Bureau)