Alerts & Updates 8th Oct 2024
Dear Reader,
We are writing to you with an important update regarding compulsory standard mark use requirements applicable to the manufacture and imports of certain textile products in India.
| Background |
The Government of India has recently notified three new Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for certain textile products. The notified QCOs are as follows:
These QCOs follow draft QCOs on the same products which were notified to the WTO in July 2024 (Draft QCOs). As per the QCOs, compliance with the mandatory use of the Indian Standard Mark as listed in all three QCOs would be a pre-requisite for the sale of the covered products in India, and the products must be certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). |
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| Products concerned |
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| Exemptions Provided | All three QCOs provide exemptions to only one category of covered goods, i.e. goods which are intended for exports. Unlike other recent QCOs, the present QCOs do not provide for additional exemptions such as relating to research & development, goods manufactured by certain enterprises, etc. The scope of extensions provided under the present QCOs is not different from that under the Draft QCOs. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Timelines for Implementation | The QCOs would come into force in a staggered manner for different types of enterprises:
All three QCOs would enter into force on April 1, 2025. However, the Indutech (Quality Control) Order, 2024 and the Ropes and Cordages (Quality Control) Order, 2024 would enter into force on July 1, 2025 for domestic Small and Micro Enterprises. No such additional time has been provided under the Geotextiles (Quality Control) Order, 2024. |
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| Next Steps |
Once the QCOs come into force, both domestic and foreign manufacturers of covered textile products will only be able sell these products in India while mandatorily using the prescribed Standard Mark under a valid license issued by the BIS. To obtain the necessary certification from the BIS, both foreign producers and domestic manufacturers of these textile products would need to submit a formal application to the BIS. Furthermore, the process of certification will also require physical testing and inspection of the relevant product(s) at the factory premises as well as parallel testing by a BIS authorized laboratory in India to verify the same. BIS certification is a time-consuming process and therefore it is recommended that interested producers make applications for certification at the earliest, in order to obtain certification by the date when the QCOs come into force. |
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