Govt to come up with 60 QCOs to curb imports of sub-standard goods

The government will come up with 60 quality control orders (QCOs) this year for products such as consumer goods, rubber, paper and light engineering items with an aim to contain imports of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing, a senior government official said on Friday.

Secretary in Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Rajesh Kumar Singh said they are issuing these orders "fairly extensively" and so far 33 QCOs for over 127 products such as ACs, refrigerators, pipes, and safety valves have been issued.

"Right now, we are processing 60 new QCOs in association with BIS. These are crucial not only for the safety of consumers but also to improve quality standards," he told reporters here.

Speaking at the media briefing, Joint Secretary in DPIIT Sanjiv said these orders are issued for goods like smart meters, nuts, bolts and fasteners.

Violation of the law can attract a penalty of up to two years of imprisonment or with fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for the first offence which increases to Rs 5 lakh minimum for the second and subsequent offences.

These orders are issued by the department in consonance with the WTO (World Trade Organization) Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) for industries falling under its domain.

Talking about the government's initiative Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), the secretary said it has crossed one lakh transactions per day.

About 74 participants are there on the network and "we are working" to onboard farmer producer organisations, Singh added.