India is stepping up efforts to align its products with global quality benchmarks, with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) notifying a fresh set of new and revised norms for textiles, aerospace materials, smart mobility, mining safety, and agro-textiles.
The move is aimed at modernizing legacy norms, covering emerging technologies, and improving the global competitiveness of Indian products, even while giving industry a transition window to adapt. In total, around 30 new standards, which are voluntary for compliance, were released by the government on 27 December.
A major focus is on textiles, with BIS revising standards for cotton fibres, handloom cotton shirting, drill fabric, and khadi products, replacing norms that in some cases dated back more than four decades. The updated testing methods and specifications are expected to improve consistency in quality assessment, support exporters facing tighter overseas scrutiny, and boost consumer confidence, besides removing ambiguity for manufacturers.
The latest update to standards assumes significance as the government has withdrawn 25 quality control orders (QCOs) between mid-November and early December, even as it launched over 15 new standards in the same period. The number of new standards notified has risen to close to 50 after Saturday's update.
The standards create a pipeline for future regulation as the standards can be converted into mandatory QCOs in future.
Flexibility-embedded regulation
Experts say the latest standards are designed to be flexibile. First, they prepare Indian exporters to be competitive in global markets and have product quality match international standards. “Global buyers increasingly expect uniform quality and safety benchmarks and countries that fail to meet them risk losing market access," said Rahul Mehta, chief mentor of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India.
Yet, since these standards are voluntary, manufacturers are not compelled to comply immediately and have the flexibility to upgrade processes and improve quality over time. "The approach allows Indian manufacturers to prepare for global competition at their own pace, helping them align with international standards without immediate regulatory pressure,” Mehta told Mint.
There still are some concerns around how these standards will be implemented on the ground and how easy compliance will be for exporters.
“In my view, this move is meant for quality standardisation to safeguard and sustain the image of Indian products. The only caution is that bureaucratic misuse during implementation must be closely monitored,” said Raja M. Shanmugam, former president of the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association.
Safety, agriculture in focus
Safety-critical sectors have also seen tighter norms, with revised standards for fire-resistant conveyor belts used in underground mines and hazardous environments, reflecting global expectations on occupational safety. In aerospace-linked applications, updated standards for woven glass fibre fabrics aim to strengthen domestic capability in high-performance materials and improve integration with global supply chains.
BIS has also introduced new standards for the first time, covering intelligent traffic management system components, bomb disposal systems and high-density polyethylene woven dry fodder storage bags under agro-textiles, reflecting priorities in smart infrastructure, internal security, and agriculture. Amendments to standards covering agricultural fencing nets, construction machinery, copper wire rods, and insulated food storage products have also been notified.
Older standards will remain in force alongside the revised ones until mid-2026, allowing industry time to transition, as per the government order.
Thinking behind QCOs rollback
The rollback of 25 QCOs was carried out “in the public interest” after consultations with BIS and an assessment of the risk of bottlenecks for downstream manufacturers.
It followed recommendations by a NITI Aayog committee led by former cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba, which had suggested relaxing mandatory quality norms. The latest rollback of seven QCOs on 1 December reduced the number of products under the compulsory quality standards to 736 from 761. Earlier, the Centre had targeted bringing more than 700 additional products under mandatory standards in FY26.
Recently, the government also issued revamped norms covering fibre-optic cables and transmission equipment, cybersecurity protocols including secure time-stamping, safety requirements for lifts, including evacuation lifts in high-rises, and domestic gas stoves designed for piped gas networks.
Mint had reported on 1 April 2025 that the US Trade Representative's 2025 National Trade Estimate report had flagged India’s QCO regime as a trade concern arguing that some standards do not align with global norms and disrupt plastics and chemical trade.