The government has withdrawn as many as 21 quality control orders (QCOs) this week, most of them for key raw materials including textiles intermediates, polymers and metals such as aluminium, copper and nickel, in a move aimed at improving inputs availability and reducing production costs primarily to help MSMEs.
The relevant notifications, issued this week by the Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals and the Ministry of Mines, follows a report by Niti Aayog member Rajiv Gauba-led government panel which recommended that QCOs should be withdrawn on important inputs hurting manufacturing.
“…The withdrawal of QCOs restores supply-chain stability and removes non-tariff barriers that were inflating input costs. MSMEs gain from reduced compliance burdens and more reliable raw-material availability. Exporters gain flexibility to use globally certified materials..And manufacturers are no longer dependent on a small set of BIS-approved suppliers,” pointed out Ajay Srivastava from research body GTRI.
However the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the nodal department for QCOs, is of the view that the orders issued so far have largely helped in improving the quality of locally manufactured goods and also stopped low quality imports. Approximately 188 QCOs covering 773 products have been issued by the government so far.
“Wherever the industry has raised legitimate issues regarding the QCOs affecting input supply, corrective actions have been taken including giving longer timelines for implementation. The QCOs have helped improve quality in multiple sectors be it screws, hinges, electrical appliances and portable water bottles,” a source tracking the matter told businessline.
The QCO withdrawals by the Chemicals Department have resulted in removal of mandatory BIS certification requirements for items affecting the textile sector including PTA, MEG, polyester fibre and polyester yarn and the plastic sector including polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC resin, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polycarbonate. The Ministry of Mines removed QCOs for aluminium, lead, nickel, tin ingot, copper, copper refined and zinc.
The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) Chairman Durai Palanisamy said that relaxation of the QCOs will streamline import of polyester and its raw materials, ensuring an uninterrupted supply to spinners, weavers, and processors. Competitive imports are expected to stabilise domestic prices, easing cost pressures on downstream manufacturers and exporters, he added.
(with inputs from Chennai bureau)
Published on November 14, 2025
