Govt rolls out mandatory quality norms for insulated flask, bottles; violation of rules attract imprisonment, fine

The government on Wednesday said it has issued mandatory quality norms for insulated flask, bottles and containers with a view to containing import of the 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 14.

These items - resin-treated compressed wood laminates and insulated flask, bottles and containers for domestic use - under the quality control orders (QCO), cannot be produced, sold/traded, imported and stocked unless they bear the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) mark.

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

The violation of the provision of the BIS Act can attract a penalty of 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 Rs 5 lakh minimum and extend up to ten times the value of goods or articles.

"The QCOs will come into force six months from the date of notification. In addition to development of a quality ecosystem in India, these QCOs will also ensure public health and safety of the consumers," the commerce and industry ministry said.

It said that the order for resin treated compressed wood laminates mandates compulsory certification under IS standard for 'resin treated compressed wood laminates (compregs)- for electrical, chemical and general purposes for the products manufactured for domestic market or imported into India.

Similarly the QCO for insulated flask, bottles and containers for domestic use mandates mandatory certification for domestic stainless steel vacuum flask/bottle and insulated container for food storage, for the products manufactured for domestic market or imported into India.

In order to safeguard the domestic micro and small industries, ensure smooth implementation of the QCO and ease of doing business, relaxations have been granted to micro and small industries in terms of timeline for implementation of the order.

The department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) is on a mission to establish a quality control regime in the country.

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

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

"The objective of notifying the QCOs is to help curb the imports of sub-standard products into India, prevention of unfair trade practices and enhance quality of the domestically manufactured products for the protection of human, animal or plant health and safety of the environment," it said.

QCOs will not only improve the manufacturing quality standards in the country but also enhance the brand and value of Made in India products.

These initiatives, coupled with development quality testing labs, product manuals would aid in the development of a quality ecosystem in India.

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

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

During various industry interactions, Joint Secretary in the DPIIT Sanjiv has emphasised that in order to restrict circulation of low-quality products in India and to ensure safety of the consumers in the country, mandatory quality control measures such as QCO are necessary.

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