India issues quality control order for some leather goods to restrict cheap imports

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday notified a quality control order on leather footwear and products in a move that will restrict their cheap imports into the country the central government, after consulting the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), is of the opinion that it is “necessary or expedient so to do in the public interest”.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) mandated the BIS with the certification of ten such products including leather safety boots and shoes, canvas boots rubber sole, sports footwear and antiriot shoes in the Footwear made from Leather and other materials (Quality Control) Order, 2020. India imported leather articles worth $ 453.12 million in FY20 of which $318.45 million came from China.

“Goods or articles…shall conform to the corresponding Indian Standard specified…and shall bear the Standard Mark under a licence from the Bureau,” DPIIT said in a notification.

Goods or articles…shall conform to the corresponding Indian Standard specified…and shall bear the Standard Mark under a licence from the Bureau

-DPIIT Notification

The list of goods also includes canvas shoes rubber sole, safety rubber canvas boots for miners, leather safety footwear having direct moulded rubber sole, leather safety footwear with direct moulded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sole, high ankle tactical boots with PU - rubber sole, and derby shoes.

The order follows the Toys (Quality Control) Order that requires all toys and material for children below 14 years to be certified by the BIS which is India’s national standards body.

The department had in January issued quality norms to control imports of steel tubes, tubulars and other wrought steel fittings, steel tubes for structural purposes and water wells, along with heavy duty electric cables, aerial bunched cables, elastomer insulatedcables, welding cables, shot firing cables and halogen-free, flame retardant cables.

Toys, furniture, sports goods and glass items are some of the products in a list of about 370 for which technical standards have been in the works since late last year and seek to reduce dependence on imports and improve domestic manufacturing.