New Delhi: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) declared on Monday that it has formally released two novel Quality Control Orders (QCOs) pertaining to solar DC cables and fire survival cables, as well as cast iron products. These QCOs are slated to be enforced after a span of six months.
The official announcement was made on August 25.
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The newly introduced QCOs specifically address the regulations governing solar DC cables and fire survival cables, catering to applications both indoors and outdoors, accommodating both flexible and fixed installations. These cables exhibit sturdy mechanical strength, rendering them suitable for deployment even in the most demanding weather conditions.
Furthermore, the QCO delineates standards for fire survival cables, engineered to withstand heightened temperatures for a stipulated duration while exposed to direct fire. Such cables find frequent use in critical environments like nuclear power plants, airports, metro rail networks, refineries, towering structures, shopping complexes, and theaters.
The third segment of the QCOs pertains to cast iron products, typically serving functions such as manhole covers, cast iron pipes, malleable iron fittings, and grey iron castings.
DPIIT acknowledged, “Extensive consultations were conducted with notable industry associations and members to gather insights prior to the formal notification of the QCOs. The drafts were subsequently endorsed by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and underwent legal scrutiny by the Department of Legislative Affairs. The finalized QCOs were subsequently uploaded on the World Trade Organization (WTO) website for a period of 60 days, inviting feedback from WTO member countries.”
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The statement released by DPIIT emphasized, “To safeguard the interests of domestic small and micro industries, ensure a seamless implementation of the QCO, and facilitate Ease of Doing Business, certain timeline extensions have been granted to these enterprises under the Cast Iron Products (Quality Control) Order.”
Upon the enforcement of these QCOs, the manufacturing, storage, and sale of products lacking certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will be prohibited in line with the BIS Act of 2016. DPIIT clarified, “Violation of the provisions of the BIS Act could result in penalties, including imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of at least ₹2 lakh for the initial offense. For subsequent offenses, the fine could escalate to a minimum of ₹5 lakh and extend up to ten times the value of the goods or articles involved.”