India’s Ministry of Steel should either scrap its mandatory steel quality control order or exempt stainless steel as the standards of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) are not aligned with international quality norms, according to an official at the Process Plant and Machinery Association of India (PPMAI) which represents some of the largest domestic stainless steel consuming industries.
The PPMAI official said that, while the government has made it mandatory for all steel products to be certified as per BIS standards, these standards are outdated and not in conformity with globally acceptable standards.
The official pointed out that even government owned and operated companies in the fields of energy, oil and gas, and thermal power as well as Indian Railways procure stainless steel as per international standards and not as per those standards laid down by the BIS.
The official pointed out that if Indian engineering and process equipment was to adhere to stainless steel produced within the country as per BIS standards, such products would not find acceptability in international markets and buyers would be expected to point out the differences between BIS norms and globally acceptable standards.