New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) The Quality Council of India and the National Small Industries Corporation Limited signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a collaborative ecosystem aimed at strengthening quality, competitiveness and market access for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the country, an official statement said on Thursday.

The partnership will combine QCI’s expertise in accreditation and certification with NSIC’s extensive MSME support network to accelerate adoption of globally recognised quality standards and enhance the growth of Indian enterprises, the statement from Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.

It will integrate initiatives including the MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification Scheme, MSME Global Mart, the TEAM Initiative and the Single Point Registration Scheme to enable firms to leverage the strengths of both organisations through a unified support framework, the statement added.

It will facilitate wider adoption of Zero Defect Zero Effect (ZED) Certification, improve digital market access, strengthen testing and accreditation infrastructure, and expand capacity-building opportunities for MSMEs and training institutions.

Under the partnership, ZED-certified MSMEs will receive enhanced opportunities for digital commerce through MSME Global Mart, onboarding on the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) under the TEAM Initiative, AI-enabled product cataloguing, and export promotion through dedicated digital platforms.

The collaboration will also strengthen convergence between ZED Certification and NSIC’s Single Point Registration Scheme, support NABL accreditation for NSIC testing facilities, and enable NABET-led assessment, accreditation and customised capacity-building programmes for NSIC training centres and laboratories.

“To ensure effective implementation of the partnership, QCI and NSIC will constitute a Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) comprising representatives from both organisations,” the statement noted.

The committee will meet every quarter to identify new areas of collaboration, monitor progress and guide the implementation of joint initiatives during the partnership.

Chairman-cum-Managing Director, NSIC, Dr. Subhransu Sekhar Acharya said the partnership with QCI brings together quality, market access and institutional support to create greater opportunities for MSMEs to enhance their competitiveness, expand into new markets and achieve sustainable growth.

Senior Director and Head, National Division for Industry Excellence (NDIE), and Chief Executive Officer, National Board for Quality Promotion (NBQP), QCI, Dr. A. Raj said the partnership would enhance MSME competitiveness, strengthen quality consciousness and further advance QCI’s National Quality Campaign.

—IANS

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