Development of the Indian National Strategy for Standardization

When gaps in quality infrastructure were beginning to impact the national bargaining position in trade negotiations of India, the 2016 Standards Conclave, a national dialogue forum on quality infrastructure in India, raised the necessity to develop a comprehensive Indian National Strategy for Standardization (INSS). A participatory approach was taken to capture the needs of stakeholders concerning needs in standardization, technical regulation, and conformity assessment, while also considering regional disparities in the country. This INSS addresses 23 goals, among them a clear separation of roles among agencies involved, advocating national interests in global standard-setting fora, distinguishing between technical regulations and voluntary standards, promoting Indian accreditation to enhance overseas market access, and creating a national response mechanism to overseas developments and to the impact of substandard imports on the Indian domestic industry.