Kolkata, July 9 (IANS) In a development that will come as a shot in the arm for West Bengal, the Quality Council of India (QCI) and the National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday to establish a collaborative ecosystem aimed at strengthening quality, competitiveness and market access for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.

West Bengal has the largest number of MSME manufacturing units in the country. The state also leads the country in the number of women-led MSMEs.

The nearly 6.5 crore MSMEs in the country provide employment to about 28 crore people. They account for about 30 per cent of India’s GDP, 35.4 per cent of the country’s manufacturing and nearly 45.73 per cent of its exports.

Under this partnership, QCI’s expertise in quality, accreditation and certification will come together with NSIC’s extensive MSME support ecosystem to accelerate the adoption of globally recognised quality standards and enhance the growth of Indian enterprises.

It seeks to integrate key national initiatives, including the MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification Scheme, MSME Global Mart, the TEAM Initiative and the Single Point Registration Scheme (SPRS), to enable MSMEs to leverage the strengths of both organisations through a unified support framework.

The collaboration 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.

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 convergence between ZED Certification and NSIC’s Single Point Registration Scheme will also be strengthened, supporting NABL accreditation for NSIC testing facilities, and enabling NABET-led assessment, accreditation and customised capacity-building programmes for NSIC training centres and laboratories.

According to a statement, QCI and NSIC will constitute a Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) comprising representatives from both organisations.

The committee will meet every quarter to identify new areas of collaboration, monitor progress and guide the implementation of joint initiatives during the five-year tenure of the MoU.

By strengthening quality infrastructure, improving market access and enhancing institutional capabilities, the collaboration aims to support the growth of globally competitive enterprises and contribute to the vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047”.

Subhransu Sekhar Acharya, NSIC Chairman-cum-Managing Director, said that MSMEs are central to India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047.

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, Acharya said, adding that the collaboration would help build a stronger ecosystem that empowers enterprises to compete confidently in both domestic and global markets.

A. Raj, Senior Director and Head, National Division for Industry Excellence (NDIE), and Chief Executive Officer of National Board for Quality Promotion (NBQP), said that by integrating ZED Certification with QCI’s quality infrastructure, including NABL, NABET and the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), while leveraging NSIC’s outreach and support mechanisms, the partnership would enhance MSME competitiveness, strengthen quality consciousness and further advance QCI’s national quality campaign.

–IANS

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