Govt identifies 100 items for quality checks.

NEW DELHI: Amul is unable to export milk powder to certain countries in North Africa and West Asia as they have prescribed standards over and above the globally-accepted norms. But, when it comes to India, consumers are exposed to toxins and chemicals as the government and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) have been unable to put in place any norms so far.

All that may change soon as the government has identified over 100 products - ranging from baker's yeast and dairy whitener to laptops and microwave ovens, steel bars and chemicals - where various agencies have been entrusted with the task of developing technical regulations. The list includes cordless phones, optic fibre cable, nylon yarn, plasma, LED and LCD television sets of 32'' and above, electronic clocks and set top boxes, among others. For certain products, norms have been finliazed, while it may take a little more time for the others.

Later this month, the commerce department is holding consultations with industry and international agencies such as UN Food & Agriculture Organization and the World Trade Organization to fix norms and in due course also expand the list.

"One of the problems is the law, which needs to be amended to allow us to add to the list. The amendments to the law have been pending in Parliament for several years," said an official, adding that basic products such as toys also make their way into households without any specifications.

While safety and health are the stated objectives of the drive to put in place standards, the move will also help the government crack down against low-quality cheap imports from countries such as China. India's international commitments mandate that it can only enforce safety standards on imported goods if there are similar norms for locally-produced items.

In fact, at the start of the century, amid a surge in imports from China, the government had got BIS to issue standards for over a 100 products and clamped down on the entry of sub-standard goods. With the trade gap with China on the rise, a similar strategy may help again, said experts.

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com