As India advances its ambitions to become a global manufacturing and outsourcing hub under the "Make in India" and "Make for the World" initiatives, the strength of its Quality Infrastructure (QI) ecosystem will be decisive. TIC Council India has submitted a set of recommendations aimed at helping policymakers build a QI system that supports both domestic competitiveness and international market access.
The acceptability of Indian products, at home and abroad, increasingly depends on their ability to meet international benchmarks for safety, performance, and reliability, not on cost-efficiency alone. A robust, future-ready quality infrastructure is therefore essential to strengthening India's manufacturing base and unlocking new export opportunities.
Four Recommendations for Reform
1. Develop a conformity assessment framework aligned with India's manufacturing aspirations
TIC Council India calls for a framework built on global best practice: alignment with international standards, a risk-based approach to conformity assessment, strengthened and resource-efficient surveillance mechanisms, and national treatment for conformity assessment bodies (CABs) regardless of geographic origin. Leveraging private, third-party certification, as already seen in sectors like drones and medical devices, can accelerate market access while maintaining strong consumer safety outcomes.
2. Ensure a level playing field for third-party conformity assessment bodies
A resilient manufacturing ecosystem depends on consistent compliance across all stakeholders. TIC Council India recommends baseline oversight requirements, spanning both accreditation and scheme owner programs, to ensure that public and private conformity assessment providers operate on equal footing and to standards matching global best practice.
3. Enhance ease of doing business for manufacturers
Duplicated compliance requirements, such as repeat testing to meet both local and international standards, impose unnecessary costs and delay market access. TIC Council India recommends that regulatory frameworks recognize incremental testing for country-specific deviations only, rather than requiring manufacturers to repeat testing already conducted to international standards.
4. Promote public-private partnerships for testing laboratories
Closer cooperation between private-sector laboratories and government-run testing facilities, including those operated by the Bureau of Indian Standards and the Ministry of Heavy Industries, can jointly expand testing capacity and capability. TIC Council India urges that such partnerships be actively promoted, with streamlined procedures to support both local producers and international market access.
Looking Ahead
Through these recommendations, TIC Council India reaffirms its commitment to supporting the development of a modern, globally aligned quality infrastructure, one that gives Indian manufacturers the tools to compete confidently in both domestic and international markets.
Download the full paper here.