India notifies quality control order on sewing machines

India has notified a quality control order on sewing machines in a move that will restrict their cheap imports into the country.

As per the order, household zig-zag sewing machines, will have to conform to the Indian standard specified by the Bureau of Indian Standards and bear the standard mark under a license from the Bureau.

“It shall come into force with effect from September 1, 2021…Provided that nothing in this order shall apply to goods or articles meant for export,” the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said in a notification on the Sewing Machines (Quality Control) Order, 2021.


The order follows similar quality control orders on refrigerators and freezers, and certain kinds of footwear including those made from leather, issued last year. The DPIIT had also issued 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.

In January last year, the department 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 insulated cables, welding cables, shot firing cables and halogen-free, flame retardant cables.