Quality Council of India

Quality Council of India (QCI) is a Government of India body ^[1] that assures quality standards across all spheres of economic and social activities. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, along with other key industry associations, i.e. Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, Confederation of Indian Industry and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, formed QCI in 1997 to provide accreditation services in the fields of education, healthcare, industries, institutions, professionals, quality promotion and quality assessment.^[2]

The council runs autonomously under Ministry of Commerce and Industry and is a non-profit organization with its own Memorandum of Association.^[3] The current chairman is Adil Zainulbhai.^[4] A council of 38 members with equal representations of government, industry and consumers govern QCI.

History

India needed an accreditation body for standard quality assessment results that are globally accepted.

A committee of relevant ministries, governing bodies, and industry stakeholders was formulated in 1992 to propose suitable recommendations that can take form as an industry body. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion oversaw the process and the final recommendations were submitted to the Union Council of Ministers (Cabinet) in 1996.

Key recommendations included:

• need for establishing an organisation jointly run by the Government of India in conjuncture with relevant industries
• need for this organisation to be self-sustaining

Cabinet Committee accepted these and gave its approval to register a new autonomous body, Quality Council of India, under Societies Registration Act, 1860.^[5]

Structure

A 38-member council governs QCI, which is responsible for formulating strategy, general policies and monitoring various components including the accreditation boards. The council ensures transparency and credibility amongst the entire system.^[6]

QCI functions through 5 main accreditation boards:

• National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) ^[7]
• National Accreditation Board for Education and Training (NABET) ^[8]
• National Board for Quality Promotion (NBQP) ^[9]
• National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) ^[10]
• National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) ^[11]

Key Projects

Swachh Survekshan

Quality Council of India had been commissioned by the Ministry of Urban Development to conduct an extensive survey to measure the success rate of Swachh Bharat Mission. Under ‘Swachh Survekshan 2016’, QCI released hygiene rankings of 73 cities, including Tier 1 and Tier 2 as per Classification of Indian cities.^[12]

25 teams of 3 trained surveyors each visited 42 locations covering highly populated zones like railway stations, bus stands, marketplaces, religious places, residential zones and toilet complexes. 3, 066 geo tagged photos were collected as evidence.^[13]

The second edition of Swachh Survekshan 2017 ranked 434 cities from January 4 to February 7, 2017.^[14][15]

Top 10 cleanest cities 2017: ^[16]

Bottom 10 cities 2017: ^[17]

Top 10 cleanest cities 2016: ^[18]

Bottom 10 cities 2016: ^[19]

Yoga Scheme

In 2016, Quality Council of India introduced a voluntary certification for to assure standardised yoga practices across the world.^[20]

Along with the yoga scheme, QCI also runs a certification for Yoga Training Schools. With objective of raising the standard of training professionals graduating from these institutions.^[21] Over 18, 500 aspirants registered under the scheme, 6, 000 examined and over 900 yoga professionals have been certified.^[22]

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Peru, Bolivia and Japan for promotion of certified yoga practices. Currently, it is in talks with Malaysia, Poland, Russia and Australia for such tie-ups.^[23][24]

MSME registration under ZED

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, initiated the Zero Defect Zero Effect (ZED) model in 2016 as an integral component of Make in India. The model was conceptualised to help Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises improve quality and environmental standards to prevent return of goods after manufacturing.^[25]

A flagship project of QCI, aims to certify over 1.25 Million MSMEs within five years to match international quality standards.^[26]

e-Quest

On 23 May 2017, QCI launched an e-learning certification in line with the government’s Digital India campaign to accredit manufacturers. The courses include Total Quality Management, Total Productive Maintenance and Manufacturing competitiveness. It enables entrepreneurs to gain certification in functional areas of manufacturing and quality practices.^[27]

References