From L-R: Ms Heather Lanigan, Country Manager - South Asia, U.S. Trade and Development Agency; Mr Alok VardhanChaturvedi, Additional Secretary , Department of Commerce, Government of India; Mr Arun M Kumar, Assistant Secretary, Global Markets & Director General, US andForeign Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce; Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation ofIndian Industry; Ms Leslie McDermott, Director of International Development, American National Standards Institute
Harmonization of product standards will be one of the four major India-U.S. joint policy objectives, according to the ‘Roundtable on Standards and Conformity Assessment’ held on 29 August 2016 at New Delhi.
The roundtable held on the sidelines of the ongoing India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB). The event was also supported by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, said that CII is focusing on four key initiatives related to standards for promoting India’s trade competitiveness. These include technical inputs from experts and industry members, training and counselling for conformity assessment bodies in India and the SAARC region, the Standards Conclave that is organized in association with India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the soon-to-be-launched Standards online portal.
“Indian industry needs to adapt to meet increasingly stringent standards to boost its export competitiveness, or we will be left behind in the global trade race,” he said.
Ms. Heather Lanigan, Country Manager – South Asia, U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), emphasized the importance of standards across different sectors like energy, telecommunications and infrastructure. The USTDA has particularly focused on power, infrastructure and smart cities. For example, they have worked on automation and standards implementation with TATA Power, which has resulted in the automation of 34 power grids that ensure reliable electricity supply for more than 7 million customers.
Mr. Arun M. Kumar, Assistant Secretary, Global Markets & Director General, US and Foreign Commercial Service, US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration, stated in his address that in addition to the harmonization of product standards, India and the U.S. will also work on improving the ease of doing business, leveraging the U.S. experience for developing Smart Cities in India, and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.
Mr. Kumar added that India-U.S. two-way trade reached US$109 billion in 2015, and that India was among the top 10 growing sources of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the US in 2015, reaching US$11.5 billion. He also noted that the adoption of market and performance driven standards can benefit initiatives like ‘Make in India.’
Mr. Alok Chaturvedi, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, stated that India is committed to conform to global standards and adopt best case practices to enable a smooth flow of products. He added that standards are going to be the new norm in bilateral trade.
Ms. Leslie McDermott, Director of International Development, American National Standards Institute (ANSI), reiterated that the inclusion of standards in the work stream of the India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue would encourage bilateral trade.