India’s Ministry of Steel will bring stainless steel pipes and tubes under mandatory quality control, a senior Indian government official said on Thursday, April 25.
The official said that the ministry has already circulated the draft Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order 2019 which will make it mandatory for all stainless steel pipes and tubes to be tested to ensure they adhere to standards already set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
According to the draft order, it will apply to domestic production as well as imports and no person shall manufacture, store for purpose of sale, distribute or import such products which do not conform to requirements specified by the BIS, the official said.
The ministry had already brought 50 carbon steel products under mandatory quality testing.
The decision to bring stainless steel pipes and tubes under mandatory quality testing has been conveyed to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the official said.
It might be noted that EU has opposed mandatory testing of steel products on the grounds that it is a non-tariff barrier for imports of steel products into India and that steel imported into the country is already tested at laboratories in the country of origin and need not be tested again in the country of destination.