Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in consultation with Ministry of Steel has been taking steps to ensure that only quality steel is produced in the country or imported from outside. In this direction, 151 BIS standards have been notified and have been covered by Quality Control Orders (QCOs) by Ministry of Steel to ensure that only quality steel is made available to the end users & the public at large. Any import of steel from outside can be done with a BIS licence. However, some steel grades, which are not yet covered by BIS standards, can be imported with a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Ministry of Steel. The NOC is being issued in advance based on the intended quantities to be imported for the next six months. Applicants seeking NOC are required to submit their application online through the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) Portal. Ministry of Steel decides applications for advance NOCs on a regular basis, in a time-bound manner, as per the prescribed norms.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries, Shri Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

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TPJ/NJ

(Release ID: 2113588)