The ministry aims to temporarily remove quality control requirements for 55 BIS-certified steel grades under a plan formulated in line with recommendations from a high-level committee that evaluated concerns about supply issues reported by major manufacturing sectors.
42 standards to be suspended for three years, 13 for one year
According to reports in the Indian press, 42 standards under the suspension scheme will be removed for three years, while 13 standards will be suspended for one year. The ministry stated that an official announcement will be made soon and emphasized that the suspension decision will be reviewed annually.
Through this temporary liberalization, sectors will be allowed not only to import certain steel grades from unlicensed suppliers but also to use non-BIS-certified materials in areas where local production is insufficient. These steel grades are widely used by automotive and electrical equipment manufacturers and typically require specialized inputs.
Additional evaluations ongoing: 15 more standards under review
An inter-ministerial group is also assessing whether an additional 15 standards should be suspended. However, quality control orders related to critical areas such as defense and atomic energy are expected to remain in force.
India has introduced more than 151 quality control orders in recent years to limit the entry of non-compliant steel products into the country. New restrictions announced in June also increase attention on this framework.
Industry representatives: “Local capacity does not meet demand,” they stated
During a recent meeting held by NITI Aayog with industry representatives, it was stated that temporary flexibility is needed when certain special steel grades have no domestic production in India or when capacity does not meet demand. The temporary suspension is expected to ease the supply chain, particularly for steel used in high-precision manufacturing processes.
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