Union Minister Piyush Goyal calls for mission ”One Nation One Standard”

PTI, Feb 20, 2021, 7:03 PM IST

New Delhi:  Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday stressed the need for ”One Nation One Standard” to bring uniformity and said lab testing in India should be of global standards.

The minister said this while reviewing the work of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

“It’s time to embark on Mission ”One Nation One Standard” and make India the leader in setting global benchmarks in setting standards,” Goyal was quoted as saying in an official statement.

While all areas of production and services should be included in this national mission, bringing a national uniformity and standardization in all kinds of public procurement and tendering can be an immediate deliverable, Goyal said.

The minister said that strength and character of the nation are often exemplified by the standards it sets for the quality of its products and services. “It’s time for India to settle for nothing less than the best,” the statement said.

Goyal asked the BIS to explore international partnerships and associations to achieve synergy in the field.

The minister said that lab testing in India should be of world standards and added that modern equipment and the latest technologies should be used there.

He asked for a gap analysis of BIS and government labs to be taken up on a priority basis.

Referring to the issue of different institutions and PSUs having a variety of non-uniform standards, he said the effort should be made to merge different standards under one standard as much as possible.

The minister said that industry should be invited for more dialogue, participation, and collaboration in this mission of “one nation one standard”.

The process of granting certification should be kept as simple as possible and duplication of work should be avoided, he said.

Goyal said, “We should aim to be the world leader in having maximum industrial products under Indian Standards and no one should feel the need to go abroad to get the quality certification.”

The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Department of Consumer Affairs and BIS among others. A detailed presentation was made by BIS about various areas of the progress being made, the statement said.