CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday brought to the notice of Union Minister for Textiles Piyush Goyal the difficulties faced by the textile industry due to mandatory certification through different quality control orders (QCOs) by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for various types of man-made fibres and viscose fibre.
In a letter, Stalin urged Goyal to insist on QCOs for importing viscose and polyester fibre only after the BIS disposes of all pending applications filed by importers seeking certification to comply with QCOs. The union minister should grant an exemption for filament yarn and artificial fibres, including bamboo which are not manufactured in India, from QCOs.
He also said several applications from foreign suppliers are pending inspection and approval by BIS. This could be done only after BIS officials visit the production facilities of such applicants in their respective countries. Even if these suppliers conform to QCOs norms, importing such fibre could only be effected once BIS officials complete all the formalities and approve the applications.