'licensing authorities'

Europe is a competitive but prize market, easier to access than ever before. Too many Indian exporters, especially small and medium sized enterprises, avoid it because the technical requirements for entry seem too complicated, too difficult, or too expensive. Indian manufacturers who have successfully accessed the European market know that the time to understand the European system is well worth the effort. The European Union alone is filled with affluent consumers, approximately 450 million of them. The European market is a large area that comprises more than 25 countries. For the exporter, therefore, Europe as a whole has become a market whose technical requirements have been greatly simplified. Before the creation of the European Union, each country imposed its own technical requirements. Different standards and conformity assessment procedures forced exporters to target one or two countries only, or to forego exporting to Europe altogether. The unification of these European countries into a European Union, and the consequent harmonization of laws, standards, and conformity assessment procedures, changed all that. Perhaps more importantly, ISO 9001 Certification is used extensively in Europe as a condition of acceptance of a manufacturer’s product or as a means of recognition of the manufacturer’s credibility. It is important to note that a manufacturer with a quality system in place (such as ISO 9001 QMS) should not automatically assume that his or her products are CE compliant because of the quality system alone. The appropriate New Approach Directive(s) will prescribe the correct and full route to conformity assessment. The CE Mark, which is affixed to a product or its packaging, is considered a proof that the product has met the requirements of the harmonized European standard, or directives; refers to Communauté European. Translated from the French, this literally means European Community. The European Commission, which administers the program, describes the CE Mark as a passport for goods to be sold freely within the internal European market. It is required by law if the product falls under one of the New Approach Directives. It is not a quality mark, nor is it a mark for consumers. Intended for Member State authorities, it is the visible sign to those authorities that your product is in compliance with the New Approach Directives. All manufacturers are required to affix the CE mark to products that are governed by New Approach Directives. CE marking on a product indicates to all authorities that the product is in compliance with the essential health and safety requirements of all directives that apply to the product. The first step to compliance is determining which directives apply to the product. A product may be regulated by more than one directive. The CE mark does not disclose which directive(s) or standards apply to the product, nor will it indicate the method of conformity assessment used to bring the product into compliance. This information is provided by other accompanying documents, such as the Declaration of Conformity. The Manufacturer or the Authorized Representative affixes the CE marking to the product. It is not affixed by a Notified Body.

Small Scale and ancillary units (i.e. undertaking with investment in plant and machinery of less than Rs. 10 million) should seek registration with the Director of Industries of the concerned State Government. What Is The Benefit Of Registering With SSI? The registration scheme has no statutory basis. Units would normally get registered to avail some benefits, incentives or support given either by the central or state government. The regime of incentives offered by the centre generally contains the following : Credit prescription (Priority sector lending), differential rates of interest etc Excise Exemption Scheme Exemption under Direct Tax Laws Statutory support such as reservation and the Interest on Delayed Payments Act States/UTs have their own package of facilities and incentives for small scale. They relate to development of industrial estates, tax subsidies, power tariff subsidies, capital investment subsidies and other support. Both the centre and the state, whether under law or otherwise, target their incentives and support packages generally to units registered with them. What Are The Objective Of Registration Scheme Of SSI? They are summarized as follows : To enumerate and maintain a roll of small industries to which the package of incentives and support are targeted. To provide a certificate enabling the units to avail statutory benefits mainly in terms of protection. To serve the purpose of collection of statistics. To create nodal centers at the Centre, State and District levels to promote SSI What Are The Features Of Scheme in SSI? Features Of The Scheme Are As Follows : DIC is the primary registering centre Registration is voluntary and not compulsory Two types of registration are done in all States. First, a provisional registration certificate is given. And after that, commencement of production, a permanent registration certificate is given. PRC is normally valid for 5 years and permanent registration is given in perpetuity. What is Provisional Registration Certificate (PRC)? This is given for the pre-operative period and enables the units to obtain the term loans and working capital from financial institutions/banks under priority sector lending. Obtain facilities for accommodation, land, other approvals etc. Obtain various necessary NOC’s and clearances from regulatory bodies such as Pollution Control Board, Labour Regulations etc. Permanent Registration Certificate Enables The Unit To Get The Following Incentives/Concessions Income-Tax exemption and Sales Tax exemption as per State Govt. Policy Incentives and concessions in power tariff.Price and purchase preference for goods produced Availability of raw material depending on existing policy Permanent registration of tiny units should be renewed after 5 years What is Procedure for Registration of SSI? Features of the present procedures are as follows : A unit can apply for PRC for any item that does not require industrial license which means items listed in Schedule-III and items not listed in Schedule-I or Schedule-II of the licensing exemption notification. Units employing less than 50/100 workers with/without power can apply for registration even for those items that are included in Schedule-II. Unit applies for PRC in prescribed application form. No field enquiry is done and PRC is issued. PRC is valid for five years. If the entrepreneur is unable to set up the unit in this period, he can apply afresh at the end of five years period. Once the unit commences production; it has to apply for permanent registration on the prescribed form. The Following Form Basis Of Evaluation The unit has obtained all necessary clearances whether statutory or administrative. E.g. drug license under drug control order, NOC from Pollution Control Board, if required etc. Unit does not violate any location restrictions in force, at the time of evaluation. Value of plant and machinery is within prescribed limits. Unit is not owned, controlled or subsidiary of any other industrial undertaking as per notification. What Is Requirement For Application Of SSI? Detail Of Application Form As Per Below : Applicant’s name & address Company/Industries name & address Name of products/Item Coast of Machineries

Testing & Calibration Laboratories Quality Management System Consultancy ISO/IEC 17025:2005 specifies the general requirements for the competence to carry out tests and/or calibrations, including sampling. It covers testing and calibration performed using standard methods, non-standard methods, and laboratory-developed methods. It is applicable to all organizations performing tests and/or calibrations. These include, for example, first-, second- and third-party laboratories, and laboratories where testing and/or calibration forms part of inspection and product certification. ISO/IEC 17025 : 2005 is applicable to all laboratories regardless of the number of personnel or the extent of the scope of testing and/or calibration activities. When a laboratory does not undertake one or more of the activities covered by ISO/IEC 17025 : 2005, such as sampling and the design/development of new methods, the requirements of those clauses do not apply. ISO/IEC 17025 : 2005 is for use by laboratories in developing their management system for quality, administrative and technical operations. Laboratory customers, regulatory authorities and accreditation bodies may also use it in confirming or recognizing the competence of laboratories. ISO/IEC 17025 : 2005 is not intended to be used as the basis for certification of laboratories. Compliance with regulatory and safety requirements on the operation of laboratories is not covered by ISO/IEC 17025 : 2005.