The National accreditation system of India under the Quality Council of India (QCI) was ranked 5th globally in the Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII)2021. India’s overall QI (Quality infrastructure) system ranking continues to be in the Top 10 unchanged from GQII 2020 at the 10th position, with a GQII score of 0.932.
What is GQII 2021?
- The GQII Index is a pioneer in measuring the development status and dynamics of QI worldwide.
- The GQII ranks 184 countries according to the relative development of their QI. A formula calculates a score for each country based on its position in the sub-rankings for metrology, standards and accreditation (the 3 QI pillars).
- A country that ranks first in all areas would score 1. In the GQII 2021, the top-ranked country (Germany) scored 0.9958, while the lowest-ranked country (Timor-Leste) scored 0.1190.
Key Points:
India’s Sub Rank in GQII 2021: Sub rank at Other QI areas: In the case of the standardization system (under BIS) India got the 9th rank and in terms of metrology system (under NPL-CSIR) India was at 21st position in the world.
*NPL-CSIR – National Physical Laboratory under the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research; BIS – Bureau of Indian Standards
India’s Rank Comparison:
| India’s | GQII 2020 | GQII 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| GQII Rank | 10 | 10 |
| GQII Score | 95.6 | 0.932 |
| Rank Metrology | 19 | 21 |
| Rank Standardization | 7 | 9 |
| Rank Accreditation | 9 | 5 |
Note – The ranking of India at top 10 is considered as a sign of a New India in the Amrit Kaal with a quality first approach.
Top 6 GQII 2021 Global Ranking:
| Country | GQII Rank | GQII Score | Rank Metrology | Rank Standardization | Rank Accreditation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1 | 0.996 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| China | 2 | 0.990 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| United States | 3 | 0.987 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| United Kingdom | 4 | 0.982 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Japan | 5 | 0.976 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| France | 6 | 0.973 | 7 | 6 | 11 |
Note – Despite being in the top half of the QI table, India, Pakistan, and Nigeria lag relatively far behind in meeting the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).
About 3 QI pillars in India:
i.Accreditation system – under QCI:
- The National Accreditation System as per international standards in India is established by QCI, it is the youngest among the 3 QI pillars
- It was established in 1997 jointly by the Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, and the Indian industry.
- Operated through the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), which provides accreditation to the certification, inspection, and validation/verification bodies, and the National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories (NABL), which provides accreditation to the testing, calibration and medical laboratories.
- Both, NABCB and NABL are signatories to the Multilateral Recognition Arrangements of the international bodies, the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), which provides international equivalence and acceptance to reports and certificates issued under their accreditation.
ii.NPL-CSIR is the national metrology institute, the BIS is the national standards body.
Additional Info:
i.What is QI?
GQII mentioned QI as a reference framework for developing rules to demonstrate and guarantee the quality of products and services on the market.
ii.In its 2021 version, the GQII has established itself as the world’s first QI index.
iii.The 2021 rankings are based on data till the end of December 2021, collected and analyzed through 2022.
iv.The GQII 2021 was supported financially by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
About GQII Program:
The GQII program is an initiative of the independent consulting firms Mesopartner and Analyticar to research and disseminate data on Quality Infrastructure.
