Why is the revoking of 14 quality control orders (QCOs) on intermediate goods affecting textile value chain important for your UPSC exam? What significance do topics such as the new Seeds Bill, Saranda forests, and ricin toxin have for both the Preliminary and Main exams? You can learn more by reading the Indian Express UPSC Key for November 14, 2025.
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
General Studies-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
What’s the ongoing story: With no respite in sight, a blanket of haze continued to engulf Delhi-NCR on Thursday with the air quality index (AQI) in the ‘Severe’ category for the third day in a row. The average AQI index was reported at 404, only a few notches below Wednesday’s 418, as per data by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Key Points to Ponder:
— What are the reasons for air pollution in India?
— How is Air pollution measured?
— What are the steps taken by the government to curb air pollution?
— What is stubble burning?
— What is the role of stubble burning in Delhi’s air pollution?
— What is the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)?
— Understand the ideas presented by both the authors in this series Best of Both Sides to tackle air pollution. (These ideas can be incorporated in way forward for your answer on this topic)
— Ishan Bakshi writes: For around a decade now, air pollution has been a significant public-health concern. Reams have been written on the issue… With the state repeatedly failing in its duty to provide this public good — clean air — perhaps it’s time to consider private alternatives. Can private individuals engage directly with farmers and work out a deal for not burning the stubble?
— In Punjab, average yields of paddy are around 2.5 to 3 tonnes per acre. The grain-to-straw ratio is roughly 1:1, which translates to 2.5 to 3 tonnes of straw per acre. With an area under cultivation of 32.4 lakh hectares, Punjab needs to dispose of roughly 20-24 million tonnes of stubble. Now, there are various estimates of the costs involved in cutting, raking, packaging, and storing bales.
— As per Ramesh Chand and Shweta Sahni (2023), Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per tonne is likely to be sufficient for the process. A study from CEEW (2021) had estimated the cost at Rs 1,330 per tonne. This included the cost for transporting the stubble from the farm up to 15 km. Updating these estimates for inflation, a study from CSTEP (2024) pegged the cost at Rs 1,620 per tonne.
— This implies that the cost of procuring all the stubble in Punjab is likely to range between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 crore. This cost has to be borne by someone. And since neither the farmer nor the government appears ready to bear this entire burden, perhaps private individuals can shoulder some of it.
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— Stubble burning affects a vast region. But let’s look at just those living in NCR. In the absence of Census data, take electricity connections. Delhi has about 60 lakh domestic electricity consumers. Add to this the numbers for Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. At perhaps around 80 lakh households, the cost of clearing the stubble works out to Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000 per household per year.
— For only the richest 1 per cent, it works out to between Rs 20,000 and Rs 40,000 per month. Somewhere in the middle might be acceptable. All households can contribute, but some free riding will occur. This isn’t that high considering the cost pollution imposes.
— Rather than the state intervening, and in this case failing, this is a Coasean alternative which relies on private bargaining between the parties to address externality problems.
— Anumita Roychowdhury writes: Incremental and temporary measures cannot win the battle against pollution. Unless deep sectoral reforms cut emissions from vehicles, industry, power plants, waste streams, solid fuels in households and dust sources together, Delhi cannot achieve more than 60 per cent reduction in its annual PM2.5 levels to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
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— The challenge is to de-link the pollution curve from the urban and industrial growth in this region. This requires systemic changes to bridge the gaps in action and also upscale action across the Indo-Gangetic Plain to reduce the influence of transboundary movement of pollution.
— It is important to acknowledge that there are no quick-fix solutions. Even in the past, Delhi could bend its pollution curve only with consistent targeting of dirty diesel in transport and coal in power plants and industries that required massive restructuring of the energy systems and natural gas-based infrastructure development.
— Delhi cannot shy away from addressing the systemic solutions. To curb vehicular pollution, which accounts for nearly half of all local pollution sources during winter, Delhi requires a vehicle segment-wise mandate for zero emissions electric vehicle uptake and disincentives for internal combustion engines with enablers.
— Even this will not suffice unless Delhi meets its Master Plan target of meeting 80 per cent of its travel demand with integrated public transport systems. For example, increasing the number of electric buses without improving service and ridership cannot help.
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— Huge funds are being diverted towards car-centric road infrastructure, including flyovers and wide roads that lock in car congestion and pollution. This funding requires repurposing to align with transit-oriented development with walkable and cyclable neighbourhoods and effective pricing of roads and parking spaces for vehicles.
— Similarly, to curb industrial emissions that also rank high during winter, address the bottlenecks to implementation of the approved clean fuels with a favourable pricing policy and promote electrification of industrial processes wherever technically feasible.
— Waste will continue to burn if the municipal bodies do not collect and segregate 100 per cent of household waste. Delhi requires massive expansion in waste processing capacity, including composting and compressed biogas generation to feed the CNG network, while phasing out mixed-feed-based waste-to-energy systems.
— There is also a need for a mandate for the uptake of recycled products. For instance, Delhi has recycling plants for construction and demolition waste, but a regulatory mandate has to ensure at least 10-20 per cent uptake of recycled material in all new public and private construction.
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— The bottom line is we know what to do. But regulatory mandates, compliance requirements and fiscal enablers are not strong enough to align public spending and private investments in urban infrastructure with clean air objectives. We know the way but lack the will or the imagination to implement it.
— The Centre’s air pollution mitigation body will likely have more accurate data on the extent of stubble-burnt farms by the end of this paddy harvest season in December as an exercise is underway to verify burnt areas mapped by satellites.
— Last year, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas moved to address stubble fire undercounting by improving the mapping of burnt farms.
— While a pilot was initiated last year, full-fledged testing is underway this year and ground truthing, or verification, has begun with the support of authorities in Punjab and Haryana, multiple people aware of the matter toldThe Indian Express.
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— This exercise involves the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), remote sensing centres in Punjab, the Haryana Space Applications Centre, district authorities in these states, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
— Satellites including the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 capture high-resolution images (10 metres) which are used to estimate the farm area burnt. This data is shared with state governments for validation, said a scientist aware of the developments. The satellite passes over the region once every five days.
— Images from other products are also used but Sentinel-2 is relied on heavily as it is open source. Optical images, near-infrared images, short-wave infrared 1 and short-wave infrared 2 images are used to detect burn scars on fields.
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(1) Artificial way of causing rainfall to reduce air pollution makes use of (UPSC CSE 2025)
(a) silver iodide and potassium iodide
(b) silver nitrate and potassium iodide
(c) silver iodide and potassium nitrate
(d) silver nitrate and potassium chloride
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
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Describe the key points of the revised Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) recently released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). How are these different from its last update in 2005? What changes in India’s National Clean Air Programme are required to achieve revised standards? (UPSC CSE 2021)
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
General Studies-III: Major crops-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, – different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
What’s the ongoing story: The Centre Thursday unveiled the draft of a new Seeds Bill, proposing mandatory registration of seed varieties, and fines and imprisonment for major offences such as sale of “spurious” and non-registered seeds
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the importance of quality seeds for increasing agricultural productivity?
— What are the factors that impact agricultural productivity?
— How are seeds formed?
— What are hybrid seeds?
— What is the context of introducing the Bill?
— How will this protect the farmers?
Key Takeaways:
— The draft of the Seeds Bill, 2025, was released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Once enacted into a law, it will replace the current Seeds Act of 1966. The Bill proposes mandatory registration of seed varieties.
— The draft proposes stringent penal provisions and has offences in three categories — trivial, minor and major. Among the major offences are supply of “any spurious seeds”; supply of seeds of non-registered kind or varieties; and “doing the Business without registration as dealer or distributor or producer or seed processing or plant nursery”.
— For these major offences, the draft Bill proposes a maximum penalty of Rs 30 lakh and imprisonment for a term, which may extend up to three years. The Bill seeks to regulate the quality of seeds for sale and import, to facilitate production, and supply of quality seeds.
— The Ministry has invited comments on the draft till December 11. The government had brought Seeds Bills in 2004 and 2019, but they couldn’t become law.
Do You Know:
— The Indian seed industry was built on a strong foundation in the 1960s with the establishment of the National Seeds Corporation and further boosted with several enabling policies and regulatory support from the late ’80s.
— The introduction of the Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers Rights Act, 2001, and the release of Bt cotton hybrids for commercial cultivation in 2002 were important milestones towards the era of a technology-driven seed sector, which boosted the industry and helped Indian farmers with better productivity.
— The 1966 legislation was enacted at the time of the Green Revolution, when the country hardly had any private seed industry. The high-yielding wheat and paddy varieties, which made India self-reliant in cereals by the 1980s, were developed by the various ICAR institutes and SAUs.
— These public sector institutions have retained their dominance in breeding of wheat, paddy (including basmati), sugarcane, pulses, soyabean, groundnut, mustard, potato, onion and other crops, where farmers largely grow open-pollinated varieties (OPV) whose grain can be saved as seed for re-planting.
— Over the last three decades or more, however, private companies and multinationals have made significant inroads, particularly into crops that are amenable to hybridisation.
— The current Seeds Act, as already noted, applies only to notified varieties. Also, unless a variety or hybrid is notified, its seeds cannot be certified. Most of the private hybrids marketed in India, by virtue of not being officially “released”, are neither “notified” nor “certified”.
— Instead, they are “truthful labeled”. The companies selling them simply state that the seeds inside the packets have a minimum germination (if 100 are sown, at least 75-80, say, will produce plants), genetic purity (percentage of “true-to-type” plants and non-contamination by genetic material of other varieties/species), and physical purity (proportion of non-contamination by other crop/weed seeds or inert matter).
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(2) Which one of the following best describes the main objective of ‘Seed Village Concept’? (UPSC CSE 2019)
(a) Encouraging the farmers to use their own farm seeds and discouraging them to buy the seeds from others
(b) Involving the farmers for training in quality seed production and thereby to make available quality seeds to others at appropriate time and affordable cost
(c) Earmarking some villages exclusively for the production of certified seeds
(d) Identifying the entrepreneurs in villages and providing them technology and finance to set up seed companies
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Jharkhand government to declare the Saranda forests as a wildlife sanctuary and conservation reserve, prohibiting any mining activity within a one-km radius of its boundary.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the difference between wildlife sanctuaries and national parks?
— Who has the power to declare wildlife sanctuaries?
— What is the ecological importance of Saranda?
— What are the important Supreme Court judgements in ecological conservation?
— What are the important features of the Wildlife Protection Act?
— What are Articles 48A and 51A(g) of the Constitution?
— How does the Forest Rights Act protect the rights of tribals and forest dwellers?
— What is the National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-31?
Key Takeaways:
— A bench of CJI B R Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran allowed Jharkhand to exempt six of the compartments from the notification under the Management Plan for sustainable Mining (MPSM) in this area.
— “We direct that the state government shall notify the area comprising 126 compartments as notified in 1968 notification, excluding six compartments…as a wildlife sanctuary within three months from the date of this judgment,” the bench ruled.
— Overruling the state’s plan to declare only a part of the forest as sanctuary, the bench said, “… in view of the mandate of Articles 48A and 51A(g) of the Constitution, Section 26A of the Wildlife Protection Act, and particularly in the light of the report of the Wildlife Institute of India, the State cannot run away from its duty to declare the extent of 31,468.25 hectares as Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary.”
— The bench directed the state “to give wide publicity to the fact that by this judgment, neither the individual rights nor the community rights of the tribals and the forest dwellers in the said area would be adversely affected”.
— The top court reiterated its direction in the 2023 Goa Foundation case that “mining within the National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, and within an area of 1 km from the boundary of such National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary shall not be permissible.”
— The SC said that “National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-31 recognises the need to enhance the protected area network (broadly including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, community reserves etc.) and to demarcate boundaries for protected areas” .
Do You Know:
— — Saranda, meaning seven hundred hills, forest division in West Singhbhum district covers about 856 sq km, and 816 sq km is a reserved forest, and the rest is a protected forest. In its assessment of the biological and ecological significance of the Saranda landscape, the Wildlife Institute of India has underlined that the area is historically recognised for its rich biodiversity.
— It presently harbours elephants, four-horned antelope, and sloth bear, and is experiencing habitat degradation and fragmentation and is home to three elephant corridors, providing connectivity with other neighbouring forests.
— A reserve forest is given the highest level of protection under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, in which hunting, grazing, and logging are prohibited except when expressly permitted. Reserve forests are designated by state governments and are key to conserving and preserving habitats and wildlife.
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(3) The most important strategy for the conservation of biodiversity together with traditional human life is the establishment of (UPSC CSE 2014)
(a) biosphere reserves
(b) botanical gardens
(c) national parks
(d) wildlife sanctuaries
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
What are the consequences of illegal mining? Discuss the ministry of environment and forests’ concept of “GO AND NO GO” zones for coal mining. (UPSC CSE 2013)
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
What’s the ongoing story: India’s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel sources are expected to increase by just about 1.4% in 2025, significantly lower than the 4% growth registered the previous year, new data released by Global Carbon Project (GCP) shows.
Key Points to Ponder:
— Why is CO2 the primary driver of climate change?
— What are the various steps taken by the government to reduce carbon emissions?
— What are the main sources of carbon emissions?
— Why is CO2 a greenhouse gas?
— What are the steps taken at the international level to reduce carbon emissions?
— What is carbon tax?
Key Takeaways:
— India’s fossil fuel-related emissions in 2024 were 3.19 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent and they are estimated to increase to 3.22 billion tonnes this year, according to the annual Global Carbon Budget study carried out by this project.
— The relatively modest growth in India’s emissions this year was lower than even the United States whose emissions are expected to increase by 1.9%, possibly attributable to the climate-denialist policies of the Donald Trump administration.
— Fossil-related CO2 emissions cover a wide range of sectors, including electricity generation, transportation, industrial processes, buildings and heating. These account for about 90% of all CO2 emissions globally. The remaining 10% come primarily from land-use changes like deforestation and degradation of natural ecosystems.
— CO2 emissions account for about 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Other significant greenhouse gases are methane, nitrous oxide and some fluorinated compounds.
— The latest GCP study shows that the growth of India’s CO2 emissions has slowed down not just this year. It has gone down even on the decadal scale. The average annual growth of India’s emissions in the current decade (2015-2024) was 3.6% compared to 6.4% in the 2005-2014 period, the study shows. This could be a result of an expanding base effect as well as continuous improvements in carbon intensity of India’s economy.
Do You Know:
— The GCP is an international collaborative programme that tracks global carbon cycles and emissions. It carries out the Global Carbon Budget study every year, which is published in the Nature journal and is timed to coincide with the annual climate conference COP30 currently being held in Brazil.
— GHGs are those gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. The Sun emits shortwave radiation or sunlight that passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the planet’s surface to warm it. However, some of this sunlight is reflected back by the surface as infrared radiation (heat) which has a longer wavelength.
— GHGs such as CO2 and methane (CH4), which cannot absorb shortwave radiation, trap infrared radiation. That is because unlike oxygen or nitrogen molecules, CO2 and methane are made up of three or more atoms, which gives them a larger variety of ways to stretch and bend and twist. This means that they can absorb a wider range of wavelengths, including infrared radiation.
— Simply put, GHGs act like a blanket that envelopes Earth and insulates it from the cold of space. This process of maintaining a warmer temperature is called the greenhouse effect. GHGs like CO2, CH4, and water vapour occur naturally and are a boon for the planet as in their absence there would not be the greenhouse effect without which there would not be liquid water and any form of life.
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(4) Which of the following are some important pollutants released by steel industry in India? (UPSC CSE 2014)
1. Oxides of sulphur
2. Oxides of nitrogen
3. Carbon monoxide
4. Carbon dioxide
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1, 3 and 4 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
Discuss global warming and mention its effects on the global climate. Explain the control measures to bring down the level of greenhouse gases which cause global warming, in light of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997. (UPSC CSE 2022)
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.
What’s the ongoing story: Earlier this week, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad arrested three men — including a doctor with a “Chinese medical degree” – for allegedly trying to produce a lethal chemical compound called Ricin.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What are ribosomes?
— What is the Chemical Weapons Convention?
— What are the internal security challenges faced by India?
— What are the various apparatus for countering terrorism in India?
— What is India’s Counterterrorism Security Framework?
Key Takeaways:
— The accused wereallegedly planning a terror attack, for which they had surveyed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh office in Lucknow, the Agriculture Produce Market Committee in Azadpur, Delhi and the fruit market in Naroda, Ahmedabad.
— The ease of producing the poison — coupled with very low doses needed to kill — makes it a challenge for law enforcement.
— Ricin is essentially a protein that can be extracted from the castor bean, largely grown industrially for the production of castor oil in countries such as India, Brazil, and China. The seeds typically contain 30 per cent to 60 per cent castor oil, with ricin accounting for 1 per cent to 5 per cent of the weight of the solid residue.
— Once the poison has been absorbed, it attaches itself to the ribosomes – tiny structures found in cells that are responsible for reading genetic code and synthesising proteins.
— “Once the poison binds with the ribosome, it stops protein synthesis in cells. And, depending on which cells absorb the poison, a person can suffer multi-organ failure and even death,” he said.
— While exposure to ricin is most likely to be a deliberate act, sometimes children may consume the seeds.
— Ingesting ricin can lead to severe vomiting and diarrhoea — which can become bloody – and low blood pressure. It could also lead to hallucinations and seizures, multi-organ failure, and death.
— If injected, it can cause several organ systems to stop working. If inhaled, people may experience difficulty breathing, cough, and tightness in the chest.
— One of the challenges with ricin poisoning is that it’s rare, so doctors don’t usually suspect it when a patient first arrives.
— Because of its high toxicity and ready availability, ricin has been a subject of military interest.
— It was studied as a chemical agent towards the end of World War I by the United States, but experts encountered problems related to keeping it stable at different temperatures and aerosolising – the process of converting a substance into a fine mist or aerosol that can be suspended in the air.
— Limited weaponisation was achieved during World War II. The next attempt at weaponising was made in 1980, when, according to a paper by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Iraq attempted to develop it as an inhalable aerosol.
— Ricin is listed as a Schedule 1 toxin under the Chemical Weapons Convention — substances that pose the highest risk of being used as a chemical weapon. This list includes nerve agents such as sarin gas and blister agents such as mustard gas.
— The most widely known criminal use of the compound was to kill dissident Bulgarian journalist Gorgi Markov in London in 1978.
Do You Know:
— The CWC aims to eliminate an entire category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer or use of chemical weapons by States Parties.
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
What are the internal security challenges being faced by India? Give out the role of Central Intelligence and Investigative Agencies tasked to counter such threats. (UPSC CSE 2023)
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment.
What’s the ongoing story: The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers on Monday revoked quality control orders (QCOs) on 14 items consisting of chemical intermediates, synthetic fibres and polymer resins that play a key role in the textile manufacturing value chain, as the sector has come under stress due to cancellation of US-bound export orders in the backdrop of steep 50 per cent US tariffs.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What are quality control orders (QCOs)?
— What are the impacts of the US tariff on the Indian textile industry?
— What is the purpose of the QCOs?
— What is the process of issuing QCOs in India?
— What are the concerns raised by MSMEs in this regard?
— Which authority is responsible for formulating the Indian Standards for different products?
— How does the QCOs curb cheap quality imports?
Key Takeaways:
— The QCOs that have been rolled back include primary input materials such as Terephthalic Acid, Ethylene Glycol, and intermediates such as Polyester Industrial Yarn (IDY), Polyester Staple Fibres (PSF), where India has significant import dependency.
— The rollback of QCOs comes after an internal Niti Aayog report pointed out that the mandatory enforcement of standards on intermediaries and raw materials instead of finished goods has contributed to “operational complexities” for the industry.
— Industry representatives said that they expect other ministries to also soon revoke quality standards, such as those on viscose fibre and machinery used in the textile manufacturing units, soon.
— The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) said that the imposition of a 50 per cent US tariff on Indian goods, effective August 27, had taken a heavy toll on India’s textile and apparel exports in September. The US is the single largest market for India’s textile and apparel exports, contributing almost 28 per cent to the total revenue of India’s textile and apparel exporters.
— Although India has significant installed capacity in polyester, supply gaps persist in specialised grades and blends required for export markets. In viscose, production is concentrated among a handful of firms, creating dependence on limited players, the report said, adding that the resulting shortages and higher prices have forced several downstream units to operate below capacity.
— Niti Aayog said that over the past decade, India’s quality regulatory framework has evolved significantly with the expansion of QCOs issued under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) framework and while QCOs are introduced to enhance consumer safety and promote high-quality manufacturing, their scope has extended beyond finished goods to encompass raw materials, intermediates, and capital goods that are critical for downstream industries.
— Between 2016 and 2025, the number of products brought under mandatory QCO coverage has grown from less than 70 to nearly 790 products, including one Omnibus Technical Requirement (OTR) that covers 20 products, the Niti Aayog report said.
Do You Know:
— In India, BIS formulates Indian Standards for different products. While the BIS certification scheme is voluntary in nature, for a number of products, compliance to Indian Standards is made compulsory by the Central Government under various considerations viz. public interest, protection of human, animal or plant health, safety of environment, prevention of unfair trade practices and national security.
— The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 2016, empowers the government to mandate standardisation through compulsory certification.
— The aim of QCOs is to uplift the national quality ecosystem and curb substandard cheap imports of goods in the country, said the sources.
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(5) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2017)
1. The Standard Mark of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for automotive tyres and tubes.
2. AGMARK is a quality Certification Mark issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
PRELIMS ANSWER KEY
1. (a) 2. (b) 3. (a) 4. (d) 5. (a)
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Khushboo Kumari is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She has done her graduation and post-graduation in History from the University of Delhi. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. She holds experience in UPSC-related content development. You can contact her via email: khushboo.kumari@indianexpress.com ... Read More