The Commerce Ministry will soon bring out a five-year ‘National Standards Strategy Paper’ to weed out substandard products from the domestic market and boost India’s exports of high quality goods.
An inter-ministerial panel is already working on identifying goods that do not conform to safety, security, environment and health standards, ministry sources said. They said the government is mulling improving regulations to ensure that India moves gradually towards adoption of more mandatory standards (also called technical regulations) that are harmonised with international standards.
Standards conclave
The move comes in the backdrop of the ministry preparing to organise a ‘Standards Conclave’ on June 23 and 24 in collaboration with industry body CII, Bureau of Indian Standards and National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies in the national capital. Soon, Regional Standard Conclaves will also be held in cities across India.
“A strong standards and regulatory framework would help domestic industry in becoming competitive in the world as well as domestic market. This would help in increasing the exports by measuring up to standards and conformity assessment procedures both in quantitative terms and also getting higher value exports,” according to a note prepared for the conclave.
The ministry said a good standards regime shall fulfil the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ‘zero defect, zero effect (meaning, environment-friendly)’ and ‘Make In India’ campaigns.
It would also help prevent flooding of domestic market with unsafe/sub-standard imports which adversely affect consumers and domestic industry, according to the note. The conclave will aim to identify gaps in India’s regime so that they are brought in harmony with international standards. It will also seek inputs from state governments and the industry in this regard. “It is essential that India develops a coordinated national response to meet the challenges of the World Trade Organisation regime in standards and conformity assessment,” the a note said.prepared for the conclave stated.
Trade agreements
Citing mega-regional free trade agreements, including Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) that are promoting high standards for global trade, the note said “it is therefore important to anticipate the future scenario on standards and technical regulations in the context of TPP and TTIP. The note also said, “The strategy of having different standards for domestic market and export market has not worked anywhere. We cannot compartmentalise quality consciousness. It has to be right from the bottom. “To grow India’s export, Indian manufacturers should comply with international best practices and standards and create an ecosystem of conformity.”
The conclave will also have discussions on higher standards for services.
