As part of government’s mission mode to develop a robust quality ecosystem, the Quality Control Orders (QCOs) are being rapidly introduced by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for critical products impacting consumer safety like electrical accessories, laboratory glassware, hinges, copper products and door fittings.

These QCOs have the right ingredients for strengthening the quality standards of ‘Made in India’ products, without compromising on the range of goods being made available to the Indian consumer. This focussed approach for restricting the circulation of sub-standard products will be a crucial driver for establishing India as a manufacturing powerhouse synonymous with best-in-class quality products.

With a view to establishing India as a global leader in providing superior quality and safety compliant products, a plethora of reforms have been undertaken for ensuring that the ‘Made in India’ brand resonates with internationally recognised brands that offer premium quality.

The guiding force behind this reform-centric approach is the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that “If there’s a “Made in India” product on any table in the world, the world should have confidence that there is nothing better than this. This will be ultimate. Be it our produce, our services, our words, our institutions, or our decision-making processes, everything will be supreme. Only then can we carry forward the essence of excellence.”

To enforce strong quality standards for enhancing consumer product safety, there is an unprecedented policy focus on implementation of QCOs which is in line with the provisions of the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement of the World Trade Organisation, the Commerce & Industry Ministry said.

The Agreement recognises that countries can take necessary quality control measures to maintain the quality of their exports, protect human, animal or plant life and safeguard the environment.

The Commerce Ministry has highlighted that the Implementation of QCOs will help India acquire a greater share of the global manufacturing market while enforcing strong quality standards to enhance consumer product safety, prevent circulation of sub-standard products in the Indian market, attract investments and prevent loss of life or any accidents.

The imposition of QCOs will help detect any kind of product defect and malfunction in the initial stage which will be beneficial for both the manufacturers and consumers by way of rationalised costs.

Factoring in the importance of inculcating the safety aspect, the DPIIT has focused on developing a robust quality ecosystem for products under its purview to provide good quality products and promoting exports of Indian products.

This has led to the issuance of more than 60 new QCOs covering approximately 300 product standards, which have not only ensured that reliable products are being made available to the consumers but also improved the manufacturing quality standards, thereby enhancing brand and value of ‘Made in India’ products, the ministry said.

QCOs have been recently notified for ‘steel wires/ strands, nylon wire ropes and wire mesh’, ‘hinges’, ‘safes, safe deposits locker cabinets and key locks’, ‘laboratory glassware’ and ‘electrical accessories’, among many others. All of the aforementioned products have great usage and applicability in everyday activities, highlighting the criticality of having well-defined standards for them to avoid any unforeseen incidents.