Previous Year Question

The Quality Council of India was established in 1997 jointly by the Government of India and Indian industry. The Union Cabinet had approved the decision relating to its establishment in 1996.

QCI is an autonomous, non-profit organisation. Indian industry was represented in its establishment by major industry associations—ASSOCHAM, CII and FICCI. On the Government side, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the present nodal department.

Statement 1 is correct.

QCI was not established exclusively by the Government. It was jointly created by the Government of India and Indian industry to develop a national mechanism for accreditation and quality promotion.

Statement 2 is correct.

The Chairman of QCI is appointed by the Prime Minister on the basis of recommendations submitted by the industry to the Government. The Chairman forms a central part of QCI’s governance structure.

The principal functions of QCI include:

• Promoting quality in products, services and management systems.

• Assessing the competence of certification and inspection bodies through accreditation boards.

• Developing quality systems in healthcare, education, environment, food safety and laboratory testing.

• Facilitating quality-related coordination among the Government, industry and consumers.

• Strengthening India’s conformity-assessment system in accordance with international standards.

Important QCI boards include:

• National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies—NABCB.

• National Accreditation Board for Education and Training—NABET.

• National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers—NABH.

• National Board for Quality Promotion—NBQP.

• National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories—NABL, which functions as a constituent board of QCI.