Govt extends registration period of Stainless Steel QC order

Government today extended the window for registration under the Stainless Steel Quality Control (QC) Order 2016 by three months after several industry bodies approached the Steel Ministry on the matter.

The development comes after a bitter war of words between stainless steel industry body ISSDA and other industry bodies like the PPMAI, MSSMA and AISSIA, which forced the Steel Ministry to set up a committee to look into the issue last month.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) came out with the order, which stipulates a mandatory registration with the state-run quality control body, the last date for which ended today.

The order also prohibits manufacture, import, storage, sale and distribution of stainless steel products by trade and industry without such registration.

Government, after consulting BIS, made an amendment in the Stainless Steel Products (Quality Control) Order, 2016, through which it amended the words "three months" to "180 days", a notification said today.

The order is now called Stainless Steel Products (Quality Control) (Amendment) Order, 2016.

The order will now provide stainless steel makers and dealers more time to register their products with the BIS.

The Quality Control Order led to a war of words between various industry bodies associated with the stainless steel sector. While some called it the need of the hour, others were protesting that it helps a few companies at the expense of the others.

Industry bodies like Metal and Stainless Steel Merchant's Association, All India Stainless Steel Industries Association and Process Plant and Machinery Association of India (PPMAI) have alleged that the QC Order has been implemented without discussions with end users.

Slamming such claims, ISSDA said reports on long period of certification is factually incorrect and that BIS has announced a simplified regime for registration that will now only take a month after the submission of complete documents.