India signs new action plan on quality infrastructure with Germany

The New Work Plan for 2023 was signed by the Department of Consumer Affairs and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action during the 9th Annual Meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure, according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

The agreement was signed on 25 April 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The Working Group has been in existence for ten years as of the Annual Meeting this year. 

During the meeting Daniela Broenstrup Director General, Digital and Innovation Policy, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, emphasized the crucial part the Working Group plays in lowering trade-related technical barriers and fostering innovation and consumer protection.

The Working Group's technical discussions focus on crucial areas of economic cooperation between the two nations. Furthermore, they support global systemic harmonisation of quality infrastructure (QI).

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN), the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies (DKE), other quality infrastructure organizations, as well as industry associations like the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), were among the participants at the annual meeting.

Stakeholders from the industry and QI organizations shared their perspectives on the state of QI in Germany and India today. These included the German Standardisation Roadmaps Circular Economy and Industries 4.0 and the Standards National Action Plan for India. 

Other contributions included topics including market surveillance in India, digital accreditation signs, and market surveillance using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The core QI components of standardisation, accreditation, conformity assessment, legal metrology, product safety, and market monitoring are organised along these lines in the Work Plan 2023. 

The ministry states that it targets both cross-cutting issues like harmonised international solutions and industry-specific issues like digitization (Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security), circular economy, smart farming, and machinery safety.