ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) plans to introduce Mobile Testing Laboratories (MTLs) in different cities of the country to improve monitoring mechanism through enhanced market surveillance and surprise visits.
A Mobile Testing Laboratory is already functional at Karachi while similar laboratories would also be introduced in other major cities to achieve better results and improve efficiency.
Sources at Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) on Saturday said re-structuring of PSQCA has been proposed in National Quality Policy (NQP) to meet best international practices.
The National Quality Policy summary is presently under consideration of Cabinet for approval.
The sources said PSQCA, an organization under administrative control MoST is mandated to formulate standards and monitor quality of products falling under Compulsory Certification Mark Scheme.
Presently, 107 items are included in mandatory scheme of PSQCA out of which 37 are food items.
The Bottled Drinking Water PS: 4639-2010, Natural Mineral Water PS: 2102-2010, Banaspati (Ghee) Ps: 221 and Oil PS: 2858 also fall under mandatory list of PSQCA.
Highlighting the steps taken, the sources said PSQCA has constituted market surveillance teams in different regions of the country which are actively working on subject matter and taking appropriate steps including seizing of plants on observation of non-compliance to requisite Quality and Safety Standards of mandatory items.
These are being regulated through continuous open market surveillance as per Conformity Assessment Rules (CA) of PSQCA against standard parameters and requirements of relevant Pakistan Standards Specification (PSS).
The sources said PSQCA has been satisfactorily performing its functions, however, in order to make it more effective, the government has undertaken the initiatives include amendments in PSQCA Act have been proposed to ensure improved governance in PSQCA.
The proposed amendments inter-alia, include re-constitution of BoD, reconstitution of advisory council/Executive Committee, Enhancement of Penalties, Discretionary and arbitrary powers of the PSQCA field staff/officers etc. and initiation of Foreign Manufacturer License Scheme (FML) to benefit importers by reducing clearing time at point of import.
The other steps are signing of MoUs with counterpart International Organizations for enhanced credibility and mutual recognition, with a view to facilitate our exporters, up-gradation, in terms of equipment and qualified manpower, of PSQCA Testing Laboratories and increasing the number of Accredited Tests while process of hiring of merit based qualified manpower against vacant posts is also under process.
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2016
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