The Quality Council of India (QCI) opened its new central headquarters at the World Trade Centre in New Delhi

What does QCI stand for?

QCI is an independent national accreditation organization tasked with guaranteeing quality assurance in products, services, and processes across various sectors via impartial third-party evaluations.

Founded in: 1996, following suggestions from an EU Expert Mission and discussions among various ministries.

Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade – DPIIT)

Headquarters: Currently situated at World Trade Centre (WTC), New Delhi

Goals of QCI:

Encourage high-quality standards in both public and private sectors.

Offer autonomous accreditation and evaluation by external parties.

Improve the quality of life and public service provision by adopting superior governance standards.

Serve as a central authority to execute National Quality Initiatives in accordance with worldwide standards.

Organization and Administration

Public–Private Partnership (PPP) framework that includes the government and industry groups — CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM.

Authorized under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.

Council of 39 members with equal representation from the government, industry, and stakeholders.

The Prime Minister of India nominates the Chairperson.

Essential Roles of QCI:

Accreditation Services: By organizations such as NABL, NABH, NABET, NBQP, maintaining standards in laboratories, healthcare, environment, and more.

Third-party Evaluations: Objective analysis of services, infrastructure, and government initiatives.

Policy Execution: Aids quality requirements under programs such as Swachh Bharat, Ayushman Bharat, etc.

Capacity Development: Educates staff for quality assessments and enhancement across various sectors.

International Cooperation: Matches India’s quality framework with global standards and WTO guidelines.