Govt extends quality order deadline for electrical items to March 2026

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The government on Tuesday said it has extended the implementation timeline for the mandatory quality control order (QCO) on certain electrical appliances by one year, till March 2026 following stakeholder consultations.

The QCO will be applicable to all electrical appliances intended for household, commercial or similar applications with rated voltage not exceeding 250 Volt for single-phase appliances and 480 Volt for other appliances including direct current (DC) supplied appliances and battery-operated appliances.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said that the order would not apply to electrical appliances which fall under the scope of any other QCO.

The horizontal QCO on safety of household and commercial electrical appliances was discussed on May 15 with stakeholder consultation meeting, where Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal had acknowledged concerns raised by the industry and had agreed to consider the request to extend the implementation timeline of the QCO, as well as the issue of legacy stock.

"In order to enable ease of doing business, the said QCO will come into force with effect from 19th March, 2026 for the domestic large and medium enterprises as well as for foreign manufacturers," it said.

Further, additional three months' time has been given to small enterprises and additional six months to micro enterprises for implementation of the QCO.

The QCO on Safety of Household, Commercial and Similar Electrical Appliances (Quality Control) Order, 2025 is one of the many initiatives for development of a robust quality ecosystem in the country and to restrict import of sub-standard products.

This initiative, coupled with development quality testing labs, product manuals will aid in the development of a quality ecosystem in India.