In an effort to boost quality infrastructure, India’s consumer department has inked a deal with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Aiming at reducing technical barriers to trade and promoting innovation and consumer protection, the work plan was signed during the 9th Annual Meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure in Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday (April 25, 2023).
According to a statement released by the department, “The technical dialogues of the working group address key areas of economic cooperation between the two countries. In addition, they promote systemic harmonisation of quality infrastructure (QI) at an international level.”
What is the work plan?
The work plan 2023 is structured along the key elements of QI, including product safety, legal metrology, conformity assessment, accreditation, standardisation, and market surveillance. It addresses cross-cutting topics like harmonised global solutions as well as sector-specific cooperation topics, such as digitalisation (Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, cyber security), circular economy, smart farming and machinery safety.
During the meeting, Nidhi Khare, Additional secretary of Department of Consumer Affairs and Daniela Broenstrup, Director General, Digital and Innovation Policy, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, highlighted the important role of the working group in reducing technical barriers to trade and promoting innovation and consumer protection.
The annual meeting was attended by stakeholders from both sides including the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the German Institute for Standardization (DIN), the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (DKE), other quality infrastructure organisations as well as industry associations including Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).