The Process Plant and MachineryAssociation of India (PPMAI) has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to withdraw proposed Quality Control Order on steel.
The industry body which represents the process plant manufacturers has also approached Steel Minister Narendra Singh Tomar for withdrawal of the Order proposing mandatory standards in stainless steel flat product segment, it said in a statement.
"We need your quick help in avoiding a serious catastrophic situation due to expected issuing of Quality Control Order on steel and steel products by Ministry of Steel," PPMAI Secretary General V P Ramachandran said.
This Order will enforce mandatory registration with BIS certificate and prohibiting manufacture, import, storage, sale and distribution of 16 steel products including stainless steel by trade and industry without such registration.
"In a letter to the Prime Minister, PPMAI has sought withdrawal of the order and urged the Steel Ministry to open a dialogue with the domestic stainless steel manufacturing industry to ascertain how much do they produce as per BIS and whether they also support this draft Order," he said.
Moreover, the matter needs re-examination as the proposed Order has serious implications on trade and industrial growth as well as health and safety of crores of consumers in India, Ramachandran added.
The draft Order will discourage investment in key manufacturing sectors since BIS standards are not comprehensive and updated.
The value-added segment of industry uses stainless steel as per international standards. In the industrial sector, no company buys stainless steel as per Indian standards nor do the designers specify use of stainless steel as per Indian standards, PPMAI said.
"In effect there is no demand for stainless steel as per Indian standards. Government should investigate if domestic stainless steel producers are producing stainless steel for industrial sector as per Indian standards," it claimed.
Source: Economic Times