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Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
NTH, India Post tie-up to make product testing quicker and cheaper
New Delhi: Businesses in India will soon be able to leverage the country's vast postal network to send samples to the National Test House (NTH) for quality evaluation and certification, making it easier for them to export their goods to new geographies at a time when president Donald Trump has imposed a heavy tax on Indian goods entering the US. NTH, the government's apex testing and quality certification body whose certificates are globally accepted, will soon allow manufacturers, exporters, traders, and even consumers to submit samples for testing without visiting its laboratories, expediting the process and saving costs, two government officials directly involved in the process told Mint on the condition of anonymity. The initiative will be made possible through NTH's tie-up with India Post, enabling product samples to be dispatched from over 164,000 post offices across the country. An agreement between the two agencies is expected to be signed shortly, said the first of the two officials cited earlier. Consumers too will be able to use the facility by sending samples to any of the NTH laboratories through India Post and receiving the test reports directly at their doorstep, they said. The collaboration brings together two of India's oldest institutions—National Test House, established in 1912, and India Post, founded in 1854 combining their legacy strengths to serve modern trade and consumer needs. Queries sent to the secretary of the Department of Post remained unanswered till press time. 'This initiative will extend NTH's reach into India's hinterland and make quality testing more accessible and inclusive,' said Alok Srivastava, director general of the National Test House. By expanding the reach of NTH through India Post's vast network, the government expects to create a level-playing field for smaller exporters and reduce dependence on middlemen and private agencies, he said. For exporters, the move is particularly significant at a time when India is looking to explore new geographies in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia to reduce dependence on traditional partners such as the US. Product quality certification, which is increasingly demanded by importing countries, has often been a bottleneck for smaller firms that lack easy access to accredited testing facilities. With the new arrangement, exporters in distant clusters—from Morbi's ceramics to Tiruppur's textiles and Ludhiana's bicycle industry—will be able to send their products for testing directly through their local post office, said the first official. The arrangement will connect exporters and businesses directly to NTH's regional laboratories in Kolkata, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Varanasi. By leveraging India Post's logistics network, NTH aims to remove the barriers that firms, especially in smaller towns and rural areas, face while sending samples for testing. 'The postal network will not only ensure secure and timely delivery but also offer real-time tracking, giving customers confidence that their samples are handled transparently,' said the second official. Another advantage is cost. Since the process will be centralized, customers are expected to save significantly compared to private courier services. They will no longer need to arrange individual logistics providers or travel physically to NTH offices for submission. 'This is likely to bring down both cost and time for businesses, making the process faster, more convenient, and cost-effective. The quicker movement of samples will also help expedite the issuance of test reports, a critical factor for exporters trying to meet overseas shipment deadlines,' the second official added. Industry leaders see the move as a much-needed reform. 'It is high time that India supports innovation. The plan to leverage the services of India Post will facilitate entrepreneurs to get approvals and certification for their products,' said Ravi Saxena, co-founder and chief executive of Wonderchef, a kitchen appliance company. Saxena added that India should build systems that enable innovation seamlessly, much like China did with patents, which helped it emerge as the world's largest producer of patents. Experts also pointed out that NTH certificates lend weight to India's export competitiveness, as they are globally recognised. For small and medium exporters, who often struggle with rejection of consignments abroad due to quality-related issues, easy access to testing will help boost credibility in new markets, said Vinod Kumar, president of India SME Forum, a body of small and medium enterprises. "This move to leverage the India Post network for delivering samples to the National Test House is a forward-looking step that will greatly benefit industries like toy manufacturing, where safety and compliance are critical. By combining the vast reach of India Post with NTH's technical expertise, this initiative will make testing more accessible, reduce turnaround times, and build stronger trust in quality assurance, enabling Indian manufacturers to compete confidently in both domestic and global markets," said Vivek Singhal, co-founder and chief executive, BIDSO, a B2B manufacturer of outdoor toys. The government hopes that streamlined testing services will encourage more firms to seek certifications proactively, thereby reducing disputes and rejections at the destination ports. The initiative comes in the backdrop of rising demand for testing and certification, with the government tightening standards across a range of sectors. From toys and electrical appliances to chemicals and building materials, mandatory compliance requirements have expanded rapidly in recent years. The officials mentioned above said that linking NTH's services with India Post will not only strengthen enforcement of domestic standards but also help Indian products align more closely with international benchmarks. The National Test House plays a critical role in testing, calibration, and certification of industrial and consumer products.
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
No approach road to enter Gurgaon residential society, home to 60 families
Tempers flared on Sunday afternoon as around a dozen residents of ROF Alante in Gurgaon's Sector 108, located near the Dwarka Expressway, reached the developer's office. The reason behind the gathering — the lack of an approach road leading to the main entrance of their society. The residents of ROF Alante, built under the Haryana Affordable Housing Policy, blamed the builder for the situation. 'How were the Occupancy Certificate (OC) and licences issued when the road was still incomplete? They (builder) should have sorted it out before handing us possession of the flats. Now, we are suffering…,' homeowner Shivani Thusoo told The Indian Express. The builder had since January started offering possession of units to the owners. Builder ROF (Ramada Group), however, claimed the project has received the OC following due process and put the onus on the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to get the road fixed. According to jamabandi (record of land rights) documents, and a letter issued by the concerned Naib Tehsildar dated June 4, the full stretch of the approach road is a revenue road — recorded in official records as belonging to the Haryana government — since at least 2023-24. The MCG had granted a housing licence to the ROF with an understanding that the approach road would be taken over and maintained by the builder once the civic body had done the necessary demarcations. These demarcations, not yet complete, pertain to the road being marked with pillars and signboards separating it from the surrounding land owned by villagers, said ROF. A visit to the site by The Indian Express revealed the problem. The very end of the 24m approach road is dug up. Also, with the society located around 10 feet above the ground level, no vehicle can enter what was supposed to be the society's main entrance due to the dug-up area. With around 60 of the 728 flats in the society already occupied, the builder has now made a temporary kuccha road at the rear gate of the complex for vehicles to enter. According to ROF, people from nearby villages, who have given up land for the project, are damaging the road in the hope of receiving more compensation. Maintaining that MCG and not ROF owns the approach road, Alok Srivastava, Head of Facilities and Possessions at ROF, said, 'A few miscreants, who also happen to be landowners, have illegally dug up the road that provides access to the society.' 'Their aim is to block the entry and exit to the society in an attempt to blackmail us with their demands for more compensation. Our staff had been threatened with violence if they tried to restore the damaged road… We have filed complaints with the police, including the DCP (West), and will take legal action,' he added. 'We have already completed all internal infrastructure works, based on which the OC was granted. All essential services within the society are in place. Remaining work related to external infrastructure development is yet to be completed due to illegal digging of the road,' Srivastava said. He added that the company is working with the local police and the MCG to restore the road soon. A resident of ROF Alante said that a local from the nearby Dharampur village was damaging the road. 'The villager, with the help of his contacts, manages to dig up the road within minutes of it being fixed. The government and the civic body are not being able to do anything about it. The unfinished road is impacting other facilities here, like shops…,' the resident said. The resident claimed that last Tuesday, the homeowners had met civic officials. 'They said they will appoint a duty magistrate and get the road constructed. They will also speak with the affected villagers within 10 days when we met them last Tuesday.' A MCG official said an internal meeting was held at the civic body in this regard on Tuesday as well. Thusoo, who had bought a flat at the society for Rs 30 lakh, said the society does not have permanent electricity and water connections. 'As there is no approach road, school buses cannot enter the society. How will students study once more families move in? Also, they are charging exorbitant maintenance amounts despite it being an affordable housing project.' When asked, an official managing Alante's day-to-day affairs said that electricity and water is being provided 24×7 through DG sets and tankers, respectively. 'Only money amounting to operational expenses is being collected as a charge on a cost basis. Moreover, at least three school buses come to the back gate,' the official added.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Time of India
Hostel superintendent files FIR against two for demanding money to withdraw complaints
Khargone: A hostel superintendent in Khargone district lodged an FIR on Sunday against two persons from Bhopal for allegedly demanding money over the phone to withdraw complaints registered on CM Helpline against her and a govt school principal, the police said. Hostel superintendent Ankita Khode and principal Alok Srivastava of Govt Kanya Shiksha Parisar, Mengaon, lodged a case against Sohan and Rajesh Kumar, residents of Bhopal, under Sections 308 (2) and 308 (3) of BNS at Mengaon police station. According to the complaint, the duo accused the hostel superintendent of corruption in the hostel. They called her over the phone, blaming her for providing rotten food to students and using fake bill vouchers for purchases. The hostel superintendent and the principal stated that they were being harassed by frequent complaints lodged against them on the CM Helpline. The duo demanded Rs 25,000 to close the complaint. The hostel superintendent made an online payment of Rs 5,000 to the duo but the calls did not stop, said the police, adding that after this, the action was taken.
