Govt rolls out quality norms for nuts, bolts to curb sub-standard imports

The government on Monday said it has issued mandatory quality norms for nuts, bolts and fasteners to curb the import of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing of these products.

A notification in this regard was issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on July 21.

These items under The Bolts, Nuts and Fasteners (Quality Control) Order, 2023, cannot be produced, sold/traded, imported and stocked unless they bear the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark, the notification stated.

Now, manufacturing, storing and sale of non-BIS certified products are prohibited as per the BIS Act, 2016.

Violation of the provision of the BIS Act can attract imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for the first offence.

In case of second and subsequent offences, the fine will increase to a minimum of Rs 5 lakh and extend up to 10 times the value of goods or articles.

"It will come into effect six months from the date of publication of the notification. The quality control order (QCO) aims to strengthen the quality ecosystem in India and enhance public health and safety of consumers," the commerce and industry ministry said.

It said to support domestic micro and small industries, relaxations have been granted in terms of the timeline for implementing the QCO.

This aims to safeguard their interests, while ensuring smooth implementation and fostering an environment conducive to ease of doing business.

Further, keeping in mind the ease of doing business, relaxations/exemptions have been granted for goods manufactured domestically for export; imported as a part of any finished goods or sub-assembly or component; and items imported by domestic manufacturers for manufacturing products for exports, the ministry said.

DPIIT Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has stressed on the importance of building a quality ecosystem in India for the manufacturing of world class products.

Various initiatives, including the development of QCO, is being undertaken by the department to develop quality sensitisation amongst users and manufacturers alike.

While Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is voluntary in nature, QCO is a mandatory certification scheme, whereby compliance to specified list of Indian Standards applicable to the product concerned is made compulsory by the Centre.

These initiatives, coupled with developing quality testing labs and product manuals, would help build a quality ecosystem in India.

DPIIT has been engaging with BIS continuously, leading to the initiation of the development of 64 new QCOs, covering 317 product standards.

During various industry interactions, DPIIT Joint Secretary Sanjiv emphasised that to restrict circulation of low-quality products and ensure safety of consumers, mandatory quality control measures, such as QCO, were necessary.

Mandatory QCOs help curb import of sub-standard products, prevent unfair trade practices, and ensure safety and well-being of consumers, as well as the environment.