Government To Ease Quality Control Orders For Standard Certification On 55 Steel Grades

The steel ministry is likely to suspend quality control orders (QCOs) for certification requirement from Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) on 55 steel grades, a move which is expected to provide ease of sourcing raw material for industry players. The ministry is considering suspending a total of 55 BIS standards - 42 for a period of three years and 13 for one year, following recommendations from a high-level committee, official sources told PTI.

A notification announcing the suspension is likely to be issued soon, possibly as early as next week, the sources said, adding the ministry will review the impact of the suspension order every year. 'A high-level committee has made several recommendations regarding the suspension of various QCOs. However, the Steel Ministry is expected to suspend only 55 of them,' said one of the sources.

In addition, the ministry will refer another 15 standards to an inter-ministerial group (IMG) for further deliberations on whether they should also be suspended. The suspension of these QCOs will enable user industries to import steel of specified grades from non-licensed suppliers or procure non-BIS-compliant steel for manufacturing in India.

These grades are primarily used in sectors such as automobiles and electrical equipment. The ministry is expected to retain certain standards, particularly those related to defence and atomic energy. Over the past few years, the Ministry of Steel has issued more than 151 QCOs to prevent non-BIS-compliant steel products from entering the Indian market.

The QCO issued in June this year even restricted the import of inputs for certain steel products. Sources added that a high-level NITI Aayog committee met industry leaders and other stakeholders last week to assess the import situation. The committee recommended suspending some QCOs to ensure the availability of certain grades of the metal that are either not produced domestically or whose production falls short of demand.