Govt May Issue Quality Control Order for 151 Technical Textile Items

The move is significant because India is heavily reliant on imported machinery and specialty fibre for technical textiles. To deliberate upon the issue, stakeholder consultations will be held on February 28, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Textiles Rajeev Saxena said, adding that "151 items now we are considering to bring under quality control order".

He did not, however, specify these identified items. Technical textiles are textile materials and products that are used primarily for their technical performance and functional properties, rather than for their aesthetic or decorative qualities.

They are classified as industrial, functional, performance, engineering, invisible, or high-tech. In 2020, India's technical textiles contribution to the global market was USD 20.5 billion. Domestic technical textiles exports stood at USD 2.8 billion in 2021, compared to USD 126 billion globally.

The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) and The Southern India Mills Association (SIMA), in collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), hosted an awareness session on the impact of Quality Control Orders (QCOs) on MMF Textile Products.

The purpose of the session was to help the industry understand the nuances of upcoming QCOs for MMF Textile Products.

Experts stated that QCOs will help to protect users of these products from substandard imports, thus protecting consumers' interests in terms of cost, quality, dependability, health, and the environment, among other things.