Increase of tariff or imposition of Quantitative
Restriction are measures to regulate the volume of imports of particular
commodities. Technical regulations, also called mandatory standards, play a
much more important role globally in checking import of poor quality goods.
WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
empowers member countries to mandate standards on goods with the objective of
maintaining national security requirements; prevention of deceptive practices;
protection of environment, animal or plant life or health; human health or
safety. Similarly, WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary
(SPS) Measures empowers member countries to mandate standards on goods with the
objective of protecting human, animal or plant life or health.
Various ministries and agencies in Government of
India like Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of
Steel, Department of Electronics & Information Technology, etc. are
pursuing these objectives and have mandated standards in the recent past. Any
standard mandated by the national authority is equally applicable to
domestically manufactured products as well as imported products.
Also, the Department of Commerce has been
organizing National Standards Conclaves to sensitize stakeholders/ministries to
meet the objectives of the standards like protection of human health or safety,
animal or plant life or health, the prevention of deceptive practices, national
security requirements or the environment with a view to protect the interests
of consumers. The central government is also pursuing the agenda with the state
governments and last year, five regional standards conclaves were organized to
generate awareness across the country.
This information was given by the Minister of State
(Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in a written
reply in Rajya Sabha on 20 July.