India should be a Pioneer of Standards, said Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles and Commerce and Industry while delivering the presidential address during the 77th Foundation Day of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on January 6. BIS along with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) jointly organised the ‘Dialogue for Strengthening Quality Ecosystem in India’ to mark the day, informed a report by the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
The Union Minister said BIS should not just be an adopter of standards, but the level of standards should be made compatible to international standards wherever possible citing lifts, air filters or medical items. This can be achieved through increase in stakeholder consultations and by involving industry representatives, said Goyal.
Applauding the efforts of BIS in Hallmarking jewelry, the Union Minister pointed out that mandatory hallmarking covers 343 districts. More than 4.3 lakh articles are hallmarked every day and 90 percent jewellery that are purchased is hallmarked.
“Till 2014, there were only 14 Quality Control Orders of 106 products. But, now, there are 156 QCOs of 672 products,” mentioned Goyal. Talking about toys, he said that 52 percent decline in toy imports was reported from 2015 compared to 2023 because of QCOs that mandated quality above all.
“QCO’s are being processed in nearly 2500 more items which reflects our commitment towards quality by providing high standards goods and services,” he said.
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The Union Minister also acknowledged the contribution and efforts of PM Modi who gave the vision of Zero Defect, Zero Effect indicating that India should make products of high quality that are sustainable, eco-friendly have zero climate impact. Over decades, India had been dependent on foreign standards for quality. Now India’s pace & progress will be decided by our own standards, viewed Goyal.
“Quality is King. But, Better Quality is probably the emperor. Quality is cost effective which in turn helps the industry and consumers. Quality is a common factor and it is necessary. Good Quality is non-negotiable,” stated Goyal adding that the awareness generated by BIS where in consumers, industry, exporters or importers, all understand its benefits
The Union Minister further appealed to the young generation to become the Young Ambassadors of Quality and of Viksit Bharat. He said that the youngsters can promote e learning, and can upgrade PARAKH initiative in colleges & universities.
After studying gap analysis, comprehensive network of state of art modern labs are set up to facilitate BIS and industry, informed Goyal who further notified that BIS recently agreed to invest Rs 40 Cr to set up 21 labs for cotton testing. He called upon the industry to come forward with areas for which testing is required. Assuring that ample funds available, he encouraged the gathering to ensure transparent ecosystem and high surveillance for better delivery.
Present at the occasion was Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Secretary DPIIT, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Director General BIS, Pramod Kumar Tiwari and others.
Delegates including experts from diverse fields related to standardisation, policymakers, industry professionals, consumer groups, academicians, representatives of various Industries, associations, leading manufacturers, traders, special invitees and representatives from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and DPIIT, also participated in the event. The inaugural session was followed by technical sessions.
