New Delhi: The government is harmonizing the scope of quality control orders (QCOs) for mandatory certification to curb the circulation of substandard goods while safeguarding the interests of the domestic MSME sector, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday.
Addressing the World Standards Day 2025 celebration organized by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Joshi emphasized that BIS must achieve a sustainable balance between consumer protection and industry growth. He said India’s economy, which has climbed from the 10th to the 4th largest in the world over the past decade, is on track to become the third-largest by 2028, driven by the government’s “reform, perform & transform” approach.
Highlighting BIS’s role in aligning national standards with global benchmarks, the minister said that standards form the backbone of a well-functioning economy by ensuring safety, quality, and reliability across products and services. “Bharat must be recognized globally for its quality, and Indian standards should become synonymous with international standards,” he said.
Joshi informed that over 22,300 standards are currently in force, with 94% harmonized with ISO and IEC standards. The number of products under mandatory certification has grown from 106 under 14 QCOs in 2014 to 773 under 191 QCOs and two horizontal QCOs in 2025. He also commended BIS for the successful implementation of HUID hallmarking for gold jewellery, which has enhanced transparency and consumer confidence.
The minister also launched several new initiatives, including the National Lighting Code of India 2025, revised to reflect advancements in LED, smart and solar-powered lighting technologies; a pilot project for capturing weight and photograph of hallmarked jewellery to strengthen transparency; and integration of laboratory equipment with the BIS laboratory information management system (LIMS), digitally linking over 180 instruments to improve traceability and efficiency.
In addition, BIS unveiled a learning management system (LMS) to provide online, self-paced certificate courses on Indian standards and conformity assessment procedures.