* The Bharat Quality Mission conference was held to educate sellers on growth and compliance
New Delhi, May 30, 2025: India SME Forum successfully concluded the Bharat Quality Mission
Conference with a unified call for systemic reform in the implementation of
Quality Control Orders (QCOs). Organized in partnership with Amazon to educate
sellers on growth and compliance, the event brought together over 300
stakeholders—including top policymakers, industry leaders, certification
authorities, and e-commerce enablers. Over 12 million MSMEs have been digitized
through Amazon’s initiatives.
Building on the momentum of a recent national webinar that saw
participation from over 11,000 MSMEs, the conference featured deep dives into
critical challenges such as certification delays, testing infrastructure gaps,
high compliance costs, and misalignment with global standards that hinder
export competitiveness. With sectoral representation from electronics, food
processing, and textiles, the discussions underscored the need for phased QCO
implementation, sector-specific compliance norms, expanded testing
infrastructure, and financial support mechanisms—establishing consensus on a
tech-enabled, reform-oriented roadmap to empower India’s MSMEs.
Themed “Enabling MSMEs for Global Competitiveness”, the event was
organized in the wake of growing concerns as narrated by small sellerswho have
facedescalating challenges due to abrupt implementation of mandatory QCOssince
last year like blocked capital and unutilized imported goods. It marked a
turning point in industry-regulator dialogue, emphasizing that compliance
should be a catalyst—not a constraint—for MSME growth. The conference concluded
with the formal submission of a policy recommendations dossier to the
Ministries of Consumer Affairs and MSME, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and
the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade(DPIIT).
Delivering the keynote address as chief guest, Nidhi Khare, Secretary,
Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public
Distribution, said,“When India rejected substandard goods, manufacturing units
began shifting to India – bringing investment, technology, jobs, and
confidence. This momentum is key to India becoming the third-largest economy,
which requires strong manufacturing and globally competitive MSMEs. QCOs boost
quality and exports, and adherence to standards is essential. To support this,
we are strengthening testing infrastructure across the country with INR 78
crore being invested through BIS. Our aim is to empower MSMEs with the
knowledge, tools, and confidence they need to move forward.”
One of the key sessions featured Ramaswami Lakshman, Director of
Emerging Markets, FBA at Amazon. “Digitization has the power to level the
playing field for MSMEs. At Amazon, we are committed to helping Indian sellers
– especially from tier 2 and 3 cities – navigate compliance, improve quality,
and reach customers across India and globally. Over 12 million MSMEs have
already been digitized through our initiatives. We are proud to support
initiatives like the Bharat Quality Mission that are essential to shape policy
frameworks andcan help unlock the full potential of small businesses,”he said.
Vinod Kumar, President of India SME Forum opined, “We heard MSMEs,
regulators, and solution providers agree that abrupt enforcement without capacity-building
will paralyze small businesses. From delayed certifications to import
bottlenecks and one-size-fits-all standards, the challenges are real. Our
recommendations aim to drive a national framework that combines global best
practices with local realities, ensuring MSMEs aren’t left behind in India’s
pursuit of quality. Ultimately, quality must become a shared journey, not an
enforced destination.Aligning with global certificationsas endorsed by the
Ministry of MSME will make MSMEs globally competitive.We are thankful to Amazon
for partnering with us on seller compliance awareness.”
About India SME Forum
India SME Forum, is India’s
leading organisation for MSMEs, with over 98,200 MSMEs as direct paid members
(including 9400+ Women Entrepreneurs) and 12,36,000 MSMEs as subscribers across
19 State Chapters. India SME Forum is a nominated member of the Advisory
Committee mandated in the section 7, sub section (2) of the MSMED Act, 2006,
(27 of 2006 (https://www.dcmsme.gov.in/Advisory_Committee.aspx) and its professional
association affiliation includes the Ministries of MSME, Finance, Corporate
Affairs, Commerce & Industry of the Govt of India, FIDD of the RBI, UNIDO,
UNCTAD, ITC Geneva, WUSME, INSME & WTO’s informal group for SMEs. For more
information, please visit www.indiasmeforum.org.