Centre working on quality control norms for home appliances: Report

The appliances have been grouped into six categories based on their usage and each category will have a separate Quality Control Order

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The Centre is working on finalising quality control and safety standards for household appliances where a major part of domestic demand is met by imports from China, The Financial Express (FE) reported on Friday.

The appliances include fans, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, electric steam cookers, coffee makers, juicers, food processors, washing machines, dishwashers, grillers, and air purifiers.

A meeting with various stakeholders was held on Thursday under the chairmanship of the joint secretary of the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

According to FE, the appliances have been grouped into six categories based on their usage. Each category will have a separate Quality Control Order (QC0).

The QCO will be applicable on all sales of such appliances irrespective of the fact that they are imported or manufactured in India. The overseas manufacturers will have to get certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to sell in India.

This comes after the Centre imposed quality control standards on toys, both domestic and imported. However, it led to a fall in imports of toys to $421.35 million in FY23 from $592.17 million in FY20.

Imports of other electrical appliances for household usage in India stand at $274.3 million in FY23 with China accounting for 45 per cent of the total.