India eyes final quality control order for metals

The government is readying to notify the final quality control orders for aluminium, copper and nickel, aiming to curb the import and sale of poor quality metals, said officials.

The measure will help regulate the sale of these metals, making it mandatory for sellers to adopt the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms, they said.

“We will be shortly notifying the quality control orders. All aluminium, copper and nickel that is sold in the country will need to follow the minimum quality standards,” said a senior mines ministry official, who did not wish to be identified.

In March, the ministry had issued draft quality control orders and sought public comments. The final notification is being issued after stakeholder consultations.

Rajib Maitra, partner at Deloitte India, said, “This move is expected to improve the quality of finished goods produced in the country.”

Separately, the steel ministry has proposed quality control on steel and steel products, including galvanised structural steel, heat-treated steels alloy and free-cutting steels – ball and roller bearing steels. Hot-dip zinc coating on structural steel bars for concrete reinforcement, ferrochromium, ferromanganese and silicomanganese are also sought to be brought under the quality norms.