Goyal asks BIS to raise standards of goods to international level

New Delhi (Uttam Hindu News): Commerce and Industry Ministry Piyush Goyal on Saturday urged the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to align the country’s standards with international standards wherever possible in the case of lifts, air filters or medical items. “This can be achieved by increasing discussions with stakeholders and involving industry representatives,” the minister said while addressing the 77th Foundation Day celebrations of BIS.

BIS and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) jointly organized ‘Dialogue on Strengthening the Quality Ecosystem in India’ on the occasion of Foundation Day.

The Minister said that a wide network of modern laboratories has been set up by BIS and the industry to facilitate testing. BIS has recently agreed to invest Rs 40 crore to set up 21 laboratories for cotton testing.

He called upon the industry to come forward with areas that require testing. He said that BIS has enough funds. He asked the organization to ensure a transparent ecosystem and high monitoring for better delivery.

Goyal appreciated the efforts of BIS in hallmarking of jewelery and informed that 343 districts are covered under mandatory hallmarking. He said that more than 4.3 lakh pieces of jewelery are hallmarked every day and 90 per cent of the jewelery that people are buying is hallmarked. The minister said that till 2014 there were only 14 quality control orders (QCOs) of 106 products but now there are 156 QCOs of 672 products.

The minister also informed that there is a 52 per cent decline in toy imports in 2023 compared to 2015, as QCO has kept quality at the top. “QCO is being processed into over 2,500 items which reflects our commitment to quality by providing high standard goods and services,” he said.

He said that nine years ago, PM Modi had given the vision of Zero Defect, Zero Effect which means India should make high quality products that are sustainable, eco-friendly and have no impact on the climate. He quoted PM Modi as saying, “For decades, India has been dependent on foreign standards for quality. Now the pace and progress of the country will be determined by our own standards.”

Goyal said that good quality cannot be compromised and with the awareness generated by BIS, its benefits are understood by consumers, industry, exporters and importers. He also appealed to the young generation to become youth ambassadors of quality and developed India. He said that youth can promote e-learning and upgrade learning initiatives in colleges and universities.

Experts from various fields related to standardization, policy makers, industry professionals, consumer groups, academicians, representatives of various industries, associations, leading manufacturers, traders, special invitees and representatives of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and DPIIT also participated in the event. Joined. The inaugural session was followed by technical sessions.