NEW DELHI: As many as 70 types and sizes of tyres manufactured by more than one company will come under mandatory quality control norms from March next year, an official said. With the standards coming into force from March 2025, both industry and associations will have enough time to share the product list and complete the verification and testing (durability and strength) process, the official said.
A tyre list review is a periodic process undertaken by the IMC (Inter-Ministerial Committee) to make appropriate recommendations regarding the exclusion/inclusion of tyre sizes from the list of non-domestic tyres.
DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) is notifying an updated list of 960 sizes/types of tyres by making necessary amendments to the previous list of 600 tyres.
"Of these 960 tyres, 70 sizes and types of tyres that are now manufactured by more than one manufacturer will be excluded from the 2009 QCO (Quality Control Order) exemption list, effective March 1, 2025," the official added.
The remaining 890 tyre sizes and types that are not manufactured domestically and are imported from abroad will be added to the QCO exemption list.
To reduce imports of substandard products into India, prevent unfair trade practices, and improve the quality of products manufactured in the country, to protect human, animal, or plant health and environmental safety, the QCO was notified in November 19, 2009. It was enforced on May 13, 2011.
The DGFT (Directorate General of Foreign Trade) was notified on 12 June 2020 of certain amendments to restrict and control tyre imports into the country proposed by DPIIT about the tyre import policy, which moved some new tyres from the free category to the restricted category (regime license).
Therefore, importers must apply for import licenses for these tyres.
Under the current mechanism, IMC recommends the exclusion/inclusion of tyre sizes from the list of tyres not manufactured in the country.
Primarily, only tyre sizes produced by more than one manufacturer will be considered locally manufactured.
Based on the IMC's decision, DPIIT on January 25, 2023, issued a list of 600 sizes/types of tyres that were not manufactured in the country and were imported by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for sale in the replacement market through their authorized distributors.
“Recently, IMC has further revised the list after due consultation with stakeholders and now, DPIIT management is notifying the updated list of 960 tyre sizes/types by making necessary amendments in the earlier updated list of 600 tyre sizes/types,” The official said.
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