The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has made changes to two Quality Control Orders (QCOs) in the footwear sector to enhance ease of doing business and bolster domestic footwear manufacturing. The amendments include extending the deadline for clearing legacy footwear stock by a year, now up to July 31, 2027, and permitting footwear manufacturers to import up to 4,500 footwear samples annually for Research and Development purposes.
The revised orders specifically apply to footwear made from Leather and other Materials (Quality Control) Order, 2024, and the footwear made from All Rubber and all Polymeric Material and its Components (Quality Control) Order, 2024. This extension in the clearance timeline aims to assist manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in orderly stock liquidation, considering the seasonal nature of footwear products and the typical inventory cycles.
Moreover, the amendments seek to ease compliance burdens, minimize trade disruptions, and ensure that only Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)-certified footwear products are available in the market post the extended deadline. Additionally, manufacturers are now allowed to import footwear samples for R&D purposes, with a cap of 4,500 pairs annually. These samples, marked “NOT FOR SALE,” are intended for evaluation, design assessment, and non-commercial use, with strict disposal guidelines in place.
The exemption for importing R&D samples is designed to support product innovation, enable manufacturers to assess designs, and determine the necessary sample quantities for research purposes. These changes are part of efforts to strengthen India’s quality ecosystem, enhance business operations, and align with the “Zero Defect, Zero Effect” manufacturing vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the “Make in India” initiative, positioning India as a global quality manufacturing hub.
