Centre rolls out next-gen reforms to strengthen India’s quality ecosystem

New Delhi: The Quality Council of India (QCI) on Wednesday announced a comprehensive set of next-generation quality reforms on the eve of Sushasan Divas 2025, aimed at strengthening India’s quality ecosystem.

Drawing from operational experience and evolving stakeholder needs, the reforms are aimed at having a transformative impact across sectors such as healthcare, laboratories, MSMEs and manufacturing, according to a statement issued by the Commerce and Industry Ministry.

System-wide reforms to power the quality ecosystem include the unveiling of the Q Mark – Desh ka Haq, a QR-coded Mark of Quality to enable citizens to know their laboratory, hospital and MSME, ensuring full disclosure and eliminating fake certificates.

The reforms mark a shift from inspection to trust through reduced paperwork, shorter timelines, fewer inspections and a low-friction ecosystem based on higher trust. The assessor pool will be expanded across boards and divisions by lowering entry barriers to bring in young experts and strengthen last-mile reach, the statement explained.

QCI is also launching Quality Setu, a secure ticket-based system for time-bound grievance redressal and feedback resolution. A single, paperless, modular one-stop accreditation platform will be launched to replace multiple accreditation portals.

For industry and MSMEs, the reforms focus on empowering India’s economic backbone of over six crore MSMEs. Under the QCI–Industry partnership, QCI will mentor and support Tier-2 and Tier-3 suppliers to achieve ZED and Lean certification, making Indian products ready for global standards.

One lakh MSMEs and Self-Help Groups under the ODOP initiative will be trained in quality, packaging and branding in 2026.

A Shop Floor Best Practices Playbook for MSMEs will be introduced to familiarise small businesses with global quality practices and strengthen day-to-day shop floor performance. Fees for ZED and Lean certification will be reduced to ensure affordability, access, quality and recognition for last-mile entrepreneurs, the statement said.

Under NABL reforms for industry and laboratories, QCI aims to position India as the testing capital of the world. A model scope for medical testing laboratories will be introduced to ensure uniformity in accredited scopes. Technical skilling initiatives will train 5,000 laboratory personnel in 2026 to strengthen the national testing ecosystem.

Self-declaration for authorised signatories will enable approval of proposed signatories for NABL assessors within 48 hours.

Laboratories will be allowed 48-hour scope extensions for similar products, methods, tests or analytes under existing scopes, removing long waiting periods. Additional fees for product-based accreditation will be eliminated where test parameters are already covered.

Under NABH reforms for healthcare, the focus is on driving patient safety in every hospital and every pincode. Direct and trusted guidance will be provided through NABH’s MITRA programme, with trained and verified mentors officially empanelled to guide hospitals, particularly in smaller towns.

Accreditation norms will be relaxed by allowing hospitals with 20 per cent occupancy to apply. The penalty framework will shift from blanket bans to graded penalties with guidance and course correction.

Gunvatta Pathshala will provide role-based skilling for doctors, nurses and technicians in patient safety and accreditation.

Desktop surveillance, including AI-assisted form filling and desk-based monitoring, will be introduced for consistently performing hospitals to reduce on-site inspections.

Under NABCB reforms for certification bodies, measures will be taken to ensure that local products reach global markets. Accredited certification for indigenously manufactured products will be introduced to enable seamless acceptance of Indian products across global supply chains.

A Quality Passport for Indian products and services will be launched through globally aligned NABCB-accredited certifications for faster market access.

Fast-track accreditation of certification bodies will be undertaken for new-age technology areas such as drones and cybersecurity, the statement added.

IANS