Launch of Study on India’s Quality Infrastructure

Within the framework of the event “Quality Connects”, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the Indian Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution came together in New Delhi on 4 December. The focus of the event was the launch of an overview publication of India’s quality infrastructure landscape. The attending representatives from government and business welcomed the publication, which serves as a guide to standards development, technical regulation, conformity assessment, accreditation, and the market surveillance system in India.

Ms Surina Rajan, Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) – India’s National Standards Body – emphasised the high suitability and timeliness of the study for all stakeholders, especially those who are interested in India’s standards development. Dr Jasper Wieck, Deputy Chief of Mission of the German Embassy in New Delhi pointed to the great interest of the German industry to be partners in India’s economic development, and emphasised that the Working Group is exceptionally results oriented. He added that the study, which is the first volume in a series of publications on quality infrastructure, would be an important achievement of a trustful cooperation.

Mr Helge Engelhard, Deputy Director General of the BMWi stressed that quality is a key aspect of the bilateral cooperation as standards and technical regulations are increasingly determining the terms of economic activities in a globalised world. Mr Rohit Kumar Parmar, Senior Economic Advisor of the Indian Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution highlighted the publication’s use as a benchmark for comparing the Indian system with those of other countries. Indian experts expressed their interest in a corresponding overview publication of the German quality infrastructure system as it could support the harmonisation of regulatory conditions between India and Germany. The need for harmonisation was reiterated by industry participants in the panel discussion who said that differing standards and compliance procedures pose the risk of trade barriers.

The event “Quality Connects” took place within the framework of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure in cooperation with the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC). The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – the German Agency for International Cooperation – has been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to support the implementation of the Global Project Quality Infrastructure in Brazil, China, India and Mexico.