Latest news with #NidhiKhare
Fashion Network
5 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
India SME Forum calls for QCO implementation upgrades
The India SME Forum, in collaboration with Amazon, concluded the Bharat Quality Mission Conference with a call for systemic improvements in the implementation of Quality Control Orders. Held under the theme 'Enabling MSMEs for Global Competitiveness,' the event focused on the adverse impact of sudden regulatory changes on micro, small, and medium enterprises and presented a set of actionable recommendations to key government bodies. Recommendations made at the event included phased QCO rollouts, sector-specific compliance norms, stronger testing infrastructure, and financial support mechanisms, Indian Retailer Bureau reported. These were submitted to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of MSME, Bureau of Indian Standards, and DPIIT, the event organisers announced on Facebook. Concerns raised by MSMEs included blocked capital and unused inventory due to abrupt QCO enforcement since 2023. In response, Nidhi Khare, secretary at the Department of Consumer Affairs, said, 'QCOs boost quality and exports, and adherence to standards is essential… Our aim is to empower MSMEs with the knowledge, tools, and confidence they need to move forward.' With over 300 attendees and follow-up from a webinar reaching 11,000 MSMEs, the conference outlined a path combining regulatory reform and digital tools to strengthen MSME competitiveness across sectors. At the event, Vinod Kumar, president of the India SME Forum, stressed that 'abrupt enforcement without capacity-building will paralyse small businesses.' Kumar also advocated for a national framework that aligns global certification with local realities.
Fibre2Fashion
5 days ago
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Top Indian official urges MSMEs to contribute to standards formulation
Indian consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare recently asked micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the manufacturing sector to comply with voluntary and mandatory quality standards, lamenting there is hardly any participation from the industry whenever standards are formulated. Academicians are formulating standards, whereas standards should be for the industry and by the industry, Khare said at a conference organised by India SME Forum in New Delhi. Indian consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare recently asked manufacturing MSMEs to comply with voluntary and mandatory quality standards, lamenting there is hardly any participation from the industry whenever standards are formulated. Academicians are formulating standards, she noted. She urged MSMEs to share problems, seek solutions and demand time-bound formulation of new standards. She urged MSMEs to be more proactive in sharing problems, seeking solutions and demanding time-bound formulation of new standards, a news agency reported. Recently, ₹78 crore has been approved to strengthen existing testing labs and set up new ones, she said. She urged industry players to approach her ministry for support during any difficulty. Standards are also needed to refuse imported sub-standard goods as that hurts the local manufacturing industry, she added. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
MSMEs Need to Become More Proactive: Consumer Affairs Secretary
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel NEW DELHI: Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Wednesday asked MSMEs to comply with voluntary as well as mandatory quality standards while manufacturing products and urged them to be more proactive in sharing problems and seeking a conference here, she noted that India is poised to become the third largest economy in the world, and that the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) will have a major role to play in achieving secretary said MSMEs need to be more proactive in sharing their problems and asked the industry to demand new standards as well as participate in formulation of these quality highlighted that the government in the past few years have taken various steps to ensure that people get quality products. Recently, Rs 78 crore was approved to strengthen existing testing labs and set up new ones."Ultimately, any nation which grows has to ensure credibility of its goods and services . There cannot be any abstinence, or there cannot be any free passes to the concern of quality," Khare said.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
MSMEs must comply with quality standards: Consumer Affairs Secretary
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Wednesday asked MSMEs to comply with voluntary as well as mandatory quality standards while manufacturing products and urged them to be more proactive in sharing problems and seeking solutions. Addressing a conference here, she noted that India is poised to become the third largest economy in the world, and the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) will have a major role to play in achieving this. The secretary said MSMEs need to be more proactive in sharing their problems and asked the industry to demand new standards as well as participate in formulation of these quality norms. She highlighted that the government in the past few years have taken various steps to ensure that people get quality products. Recently, Rs 78 crore has been approved to strengthen existing testing labs and set up new ones. "Ultimately, any nation which grows has to ensure credibility of its goods and services. There cannot be any abstinence, or there cannot be any free passes to the concern of quality," Khare said. The secretary pointed out that there is hardly any participation from the industry whenever standards are being formulated. "...academicians, the domain expertare actually bringing standards, whereas standards should have been for the industry and by the industry," Khare said at a conference organised by India SME Forum, a not-for-profit organisation for small & medium enterprises. The secretary asked the industry to demand time-bound formulation of standards and assured that the government and its departments would do that. Khare said the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has the capacity to formulate standards very quickly. Further, she said the industry players can approach the ministry for support during any difficulties, whether it is the formulation of standards or setting up of a testing facility. "...We will set it up. We do not want you to suffer," Khare added. MSMEs have to become more responsive and much more engaged, the secretary said. "India is poised to become the third largest economy, then it is MSMEs who will do this wonder. So you (MSMEs) cannot do this wonder without adhering to or conforming to standards. And therefore ask for standards," Khare told industry representatives. To become a developed nation, she said India needs to boost its manufacturing capacities to meet local and global demand. Expressing concern over the import of bad products, the secretary said India needs standards to refuse sub-standard goods which get imported into the country, as this hurts the local manufacturing industry. "Even Uganda and Rwanda have more QCOs (quality control orders), more technical regulations than India. Will you still complain?" Khare said. There are still 23,000 Indian standards which are totally in the voluntary regime, the secretary said. These QCOs help in improving global competitiveness and increasing exports, she added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
MSMEs must comply with quality standards, be more responsive: Consumer Affairs Secretary
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Wednesday asked MSMEs to comply with voluntary as well as mandatory quality standards while manufacturing products and urged them to be more proactive in sharing problems and seeking solutions. Addressing a conference here, she noted that India is poised to become the third largest economy in the world, and the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) will have a major role to play in achieving this. The secretary said MSMEs need to be more proactive in sharing their problems and asked the industry to demand new standards as well as participate in formulation of these quality norms. She highlighted that the government in the past few years have taken various steps to ensure that people get quality products. Recently, Rs 78 crore has been approved to strengthen existing testing labs and set up new ones. "Ultimately, any nation which grows has to ensure credibility of its goods and services. There cannot be any abstinence, or there cannot be any free passes to the concern of quality," Khare said. The secretary pointed out that there is hardly any participation from the industry whenever standards are being formulated. Live Events "...academicians, the domain expert…are actually bringing standards, whereas standards should have been for the industry and by the industry…," Khare said at a conference organised by India SME Forum , a not-for-profit organisation for small & medium enterprises. The secretary asked the industry to demand time-bound formulation of standards and assured that the government and its departments would do that. Khare said the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has the capacity to formulate standards very quickly. Further, she said the industry players can approach the ministry for support during any difficulties, whether it is the formulation of standards or setting up of a testing facility. "...We will set it up. We do not want you to suffer," Khare added. MSMEs have to become more responsive and much more engaged, the secretary said. "India is poised to become the third largest economy, then it is MSMEs who will do this wonder. So you (MSMEs) cannot do this wonder without adhering to or conforming to standards. And therefore ask for standards," Khare told industry representatives. To become a developed nation, she said India needs to boost its manufacturing capacities to meet local and global demand. Expressing concern over the import of bad products, the secretary said India needs standards to refuse sub-standard goods which get imported into the country, as this hurts the local manufacturing industry. "Even Uganda and Rwanda have more QCOs (quality control orders), more technical regulations than India. Will you still complain?" Khare said. There are still 23,000 Indian standards which are totally in the voluntary regime, the secretary said. These QCOs help in improving global competitiveness and increasing exports, she added.
