The Ministry of Steel has recently published a Quality Control Order on 21/07/2023 in the public interest after consulting the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS Act, 2016). Ferronickel shall conform to the relevant Indian Standard (IS 4409:1973 as per Scheme-I of Schedule-II of the Bureau of Indian Standards Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 and shall bear the mandatory ISI Mark under a BIS License granted from the Bureau of Indian Standards.
Ferronickel QCO key points:
1. For Large Scale units, it shall come into force with effect from 6 months from the date of notification.
2. This BIS QCO for IS 4409 shall not apply to such goods or article meant for export.
3. BIS shall certify and enforce the concerned manufacturers to use a Standard Mark as the ISI Mark Certification logo on all the products covered under the same QCO.
4. According to BIS Guideline, any person who contravenes the provisions of this QCO shall be punishable under the provisions of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (up to Rs. 5 Lakh, imprisonment for up to 1 year term or 5 times annual turnover).