Lok Sabha Question No. 753 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-07
Subject: Quality Control Orders
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Manne Srinivas Reddy, Y. S. Avinash Reddy

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 753 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2024

## QUALITY CONTROL ORDERS

## 753. SHRI MANNE SRINIVAS REDDY: SHRI Y.S. AVINASH REDDY:

Will  the  Minister  of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Centre has proposed to bring Quality Control Orders (QCO) for nearly 2,500 items but there had been only 14 QCOs for 106 products till 2014;
- (b) if  so,  whether  this  has  increased  to  156  QCOs  for  672  products  by  2024  and  around  90%  of  the QCOs came in the past few years which reflects our commitment towards quality by providing high standards  goods  and  services,  which  put  forth  the  vision  of  'zero  defect,  zero  effect'  to  ensure making of high quality products that are sustainable, ecofriendly and have zero climate impact;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  this  vision  is  being  adopted  and  it  has  made  consumers  quality  conscious  which  in  turn helps the industry and consumers; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof along with the present status of its implementation?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h (श्री अश्विनी क ु मार चौबे)

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) to (c) :        The Quality Control Orders (QCO's) are issued under section 16 of BIS Act, 2016 by the concerned Line Ministry / Regulator. Till May, 2014, there were 14 QCO's covering 106 products. As on 02/02/2024, 159 Quality Control Orders (QCO's) covering 686 products were notified by the various Ministries / Departments of Government of India. The Link to access the list of products under Compulsory Certification is at  https://www.bis.gov.in/product-certification/products-under-compulsory-certification/

- (d) & (e) : Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) through Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in its initiatives on handholding of Industry has organized various Consumer awareness programmes, Standards promotion activities for consumers and capsule training programmes for capacity building to industry for wide publicity and to make consumers and industry understand the importance of compliance to the Indian Standard Specifications.

BIS carries out enforcement activities wherever violation of BIS Act has been noticed. BIS collects samples under market surveillance and factory surveillance. BIS labs tested 18622 number of samples in the year 2013-14 while 101413 number of samples have been tested in 2022-23. The % increase in samples in 2022-23 as compared to 2013-14 is 445%. In 2023-24 (till Jan 2024), BIS labs have tested 87322 samples. This signifies the increasing number of products covered under various QCOs. The effective implementation of the conformity assessment schemes provide assurance to the general consumer regarding the quality of the products manufactured and sold in the country.

The  capsule  training  courses  are  aimed  at  training  the  personnel  involved  in  Quality  Control measures including testing the product in BIS recognised laboratories. The programmes are organized free of  cost  for  participants  from  the  industry.  In  addition,  NITS,  BIS  organizes  training  programmes  for Capacity Building in the area of standardisation and conformity assessment for various stakeholders.

As  part  of  Standards  Promotion  Activities  for  the  Consumer  Stakeholders,  BIS    have  conducted Quality Connect Campaign for common consumers with volunteers visiting households/youth/traders and give  information  about  the  important  standards,  certified  products  and  QCOs.  Moreover,  for  industry stakeholders, BIS conducted two-day capsule courses for industry quality personnel including visits to BIS and BIS approved Labs for various products including products which are under QCOs.

Manak Manthan programmes were conducted involving industry, industry associations, laboratories, educational institutions, other standards developing organization. BIS has organized regular awareness and sensitization programmes for government stakeholders. State Level Committee meetings on Standardisation were held for dissemination of information on relevant Indian Standards and QCOs under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary of the States.

Standards  Clubs  in  the  Educational  Institutions  were  formed  to  provide  learning  opportunities  to young talents in the field of quality and standardization. 5140 standard clubs were created throughout the country from 01 April 2023 to 31 January 2024 taking the total to more than 9400 standards club pan India. One of the new initiatives called "Learning Science via Standards," aims to help students understand the practical application of science concepts and laws for the design, functioning, manufacturing, and testing of different products and the requirements stated in the relevant Indian Standards. BIS has also initiated the concept of exposure visits for industry and academia to enhance their quality consciousness. Sensitization programmes  of  the  President  and  Secretary  of  Gram  Panchayat  were  carried  out  by  launching  special campaigns across the country.

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