DPIIT releases quality control norms for certain steel, cable items

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has come out with quality control norms for certain steel items and cables, a move which will help in containing import and production of sub-standard products in the country.

As per two separate orders, these products shall have to conform to the specified standards and bear the standard mark under a licence from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The notified items cannot be produced, sold/traded, imported and stocked unless they bear BIS mark.

The goods included steel tubes, tubulars and other wrought steel fitting; steel tubes for structural purposes and water wells.

The other items include heavy duty electric cables, aerial bunched cables, elastomer insulated cables, welding cables, shot firing cables, and halogen-free flame retardant cables.

Both the orders will come into force with effect from August 1 this year.

"The BIS shall be the certifying and enforcing authority for the goods," according to the orders.

However, it added that these orders -- Steel Tubes (Quality Control) Order, 2020; and Cables (Quality Control) Order, 2020 -- shall not apply to goods or articles meant for export purposes.

The move assume significance as the government is working to formulate technical regulations, which include safety and quality standards, for over 350 products with a view to cut imports of those non-essential items.

The issue was widely discussed during an inter-ministerial meeting in December last year.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Department of Telecommunication, Department of Chemicals, IT and electronics ministry and steel ministry was consulted for imposition of import regulations.

The target is to formulate these regulations for about 5,000 products but the current focus is on 371 items which accounts for USD 127 billion worth of imports.

The 371 items include chemicals, steel, consumer electronics, heavy machinery, telecom goods, paper, rubber articles, glass, industrial machinery, metal articles, furniture, pharma, fertiliser, food and textiles.

India's imports have increased 9 per cent to USD 507.5 billion in 2018-19 from USD 465.6 billion in 2017-18.

The country's top import commodities include crude oil, gold, electronic goods, pulses, fertilisers, machine tools and pharmaceutical products.

High import bill pushes trade deficit which in turn impacts current account deficit. High imports also affect the country's foreign currency exchange rates.