'Won't blame bureaucracy alone': Amitabh Kant warns QCOs are 'protectionism at its worst', making India uncompetitive

Former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, in his latest podcast, has spoken against the government's expanding use of Quality Control Orders (QCOs) and suggested that they should not be imposed on inputs. He said quality control orders are a "protectionism in its worst form" and are making the Indian industry "highly globally uncompetitive", particularly hurting job creation and MSMEs. Advertisement

Speaking to Groww's Monika Halan, Kant said the QCO regime had spread in a very rampant manner across more than 760 commodities and sectors, with a significant number imposed on inputs and intermediates rather than final goods. "My view is that quality control orders have been protectionism in its worst form, especially because many of these QCOs have been imposed on inputs and intermediates," he s