The Indian government has exempted the import of certain grades of stainless steel products from the mandatory quality control order, which was introduced on June 13 this year, government officials said on Thursday, October 9.
According to the mandatory quality control order, imports of stainless steel products had to meet the specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and importers had to request a quality certificate from the latter, which was provided only after BIS inspected the factories from where the material was produced.The quality control order dated June 13 was applied to three Indian standards - IS 6911, IS5522 and IS 15997, covering stainless steel products of the 200 and 300 series.
According to government officials, the exemption will provide relief to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that are experiencing difficulties. meet the raw material requirements by importing and now will be able to obtain raw materials from stainless steel without waiting for the issuance of quality certificates from BIS.
The certification process can take up to 18 months, including audits, performance guarantees, inspections of manufacturing facilities abroad, and high costs, making it unviable for small consumers.
India imports about 30 percent of stainless steel and consumes about 1.5 million tons on average. There is more per year than domestic production, officials said.
