MSMEs must comply with quality standards: Consumer Affairs Secretary

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Wednesday asked MSMEs to comply with voluntary as well as mandatory quality standards while manufacturing products and urged them to be more proactive in sharing problems and seeking solutions.

Addressing a conference here, she noted that India is poised to become the third largest economy in the world, and the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) will have a major role to play in achieving this.

The secretary said MSMEs need to be more proactive in sharing their problems and asked the industry to demand new standards as well as participate in formulation of these quality norms.

She highlighted that the government in the past few years have taken various steps to ensure that people get quality products. Recently, Rs 78 crore has been approved to strengthen existing testing labs and set up new ones.

"Ultimately, any nation which grows has to ensure credibility of its goods and services. There cannot be any abstinence, or there cannot be any free passes to the concern of quality," Khare said.

The secretary pointed out that there is hardly any participation from the industry whenever standards are being formulated.

"...academicians, the domain expertare actually bringing standards, whereas standards should have been for the industry and by the industry," Khare said at a conference organised by India SME Forum, a not-for-profit organisation for small & medium enterprises.

The secretary asked the industry to demand time-bound formulation of standards and assured that the government and its departments would do that.

Khare said the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has the capacity to formulate standards very quickly.

Further, she said the industry players can approach the ministry for support during any difficulties, whether it is the formulation of standards or setting up of a testing facility.

"...We will set it up. We do not want you to suffer," Khare added.

MSMEs have to become more responsive and much more engaged, the secretary said.

"India is poised to become the third largest economy, then it is MSMEs who will do this wonder. So you (MSMEs) cannot do this wonder without adhering to or conforming to standards. And therefore ask for standards," Khare told industry representatives.

To become a developed nation, she said India needs to boost its manufacturing capacities to meet local and global demand.

Expressing concern over the import of bad products, the secretary said India needs standards to refuse sub-standard goods which get imported into the country, as this hurts the local manufacturing industry.

"Even Uganda and Rwanda have more QCOs (quality control orders), more technical regulations than India. Will you still complain?" Khare said.

There are still 23,000 Indian standards which are totally in the voluntary regime, the secretary said.

These QCOs help in improving global competitiveness and increasing exports, she added.