India should be a Pioneer of Standards: Piyush Goyal
India should be a Pioneer of Standards, said Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Textiles and Commerce and Industry while delivering presidential address during 77th Foundation Day of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) here today. BIS along with Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) jointly organised the ‘Dialogue for Strengthening Quality Ecosystem in India’ to mark the day.
The Union Minister said BIS should not just be an adopter of standards. He said that the standards should be made compatible to international standards wherever possible, for example, lifts or air filters or medical items. Adding on he said that this can be achieved through increase in stakeholder consultations and by involving industry representatives.
Shri Goyal applauded the efforts of BIS in Hallmarking jewelry and pointed out that mandatory hallmarking covers 343 districts. More than 4.3 lakh articles are hallmarked every day and 90% jwellery that people are buying is hallmarked.
He said that till 2014, there were only 14 Quality Control Orders of 106 products. But, now, there are 156 QCOs of 672 products. Shri Goyal said that 90% of the QCOs came in last few years when Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi led the country. Talking about toys, he said that 52% 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.
The Union Minister said that 9 years ago, PM gave the vision of Zero Defect, Zero Effect which means that India should make products of high quality that are sustainable, eco-friendly have zero climate impact. Shri Goyal said that PM’s vision is being adopted and as a result the consumers have become quality conscious. Quoting PM he said, “Over decades, India had been dependent on foreign standards for quality. Now India’s pace & progress will be decided by our own standards.”
Shri Goyal said that Quality is King. But, Better Quality is probably the emperor. He said that quality is cost effective which in turn helps the industry and consumers. He said that Quality is a common factor and it is necessary. In his opinion Good Quality is non-negotiable. And the awareness generated by BIS where in consumers, industry, exporters or importers, all understand its benefits.
The Union Minister appealed to 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.
He said that after studying gap analysis, comprehensive network of state of art modern labs are set up to facilitate BIS and industry. Shri Goyal said that BIS recently agreed to invest Rs 40 Cr to set up 21 labs for cotton testing. He called upon the industry and said that they should come forward with areas for which testing is required. He said BIS has ample funds and asked them to ensure transparent ecosystem and high surveillance for better delivery.
Present at the occasion was Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Secretary DPIIT, Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, Director General BIS, Shri 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.