On April 11, 2023, the Ministry of Textiles launched 2 Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for 31 items which marked the first technical regulation from India for the Technical Textiles industry.
- These QCOs consist of 19 Geo Textiles and 12 Protective Textiles in the Phase-I.
- The information for the same was provided by Joint Secretary, Rajeev Saxena, Ministry of Textiles in a press conference in New Delhi, Delhi.
Note: If a QCO is issued on a product, it must carry the quality certification mark of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
Reason behind this regulation:
The government of India believes that it is necessary to implement the regulations in the public interest to increase the standard and quality of Geo Textiles and Protective Textiles, for the protection of environment, human health, and animal and plant life and health.
Key Points:
i.These two Geo Textiles and Protective Textiles QCOs will come into effect in 180 days immediately after the date of the publication of the orders in the gazette and both, domestic manufacturers as well as foreign manufacturers who intend to export their products to India.
ii.QCOs will focus on delivering high-quality products at competitive prices to users and end consumers, which will help improve the overall quality of Indian products to meet global standards.
iii.In Phase-II, the Ministry of Textiles plans to issue two more QCOs for 28 items that will cover 22 agro textile products and 6 medical textile items. In Phase-III, it plans to bring over 30 technical textile items under the QCO.
iv.Geo-textiles are used for infrastructure projects and environmental applications while Protective Textiles are used to protect human life from hazardous and adverse working conditions.
Note: In the above QCO orders, 19 items that belong to the Geo Textiles category, include Laminated High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Woven Geomembrane for Waterproof lining, PVC Geomembranes, Needle punched non-woven geobags among others. The remaining 12 items are of Protective Textiles, including Curtains and Drapes, protective clothing for firefighters, protective gloves for firefighters, protective clothing for industrial workers exposed to heat among others.
Recent Related News:
i.On March 17, 2023, the Government of India (GoI) announced the sites for setting up of 7 PM Mega Integrated Textile Regions and Apparel (PM MITRA) Parks for the Textile industry in the states of Tamil Nadu (TN), Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh (MP), Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Maharashtra.
ii.The government of Uttarakhand is set to establish India’s first government mother milk bank, a facility that can ensure the nutritional elements of mothers’ milk to newborns.
About Ministry of Textiles:
Union Minister– Piyush Goyal (Constituency- Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra)
Minister of State (MoS)– Darshana V Jardosh (Constituency- Surat, Gujarat)
