PSQCA: Govt decides to outsource monitoring of seven products

KARACHI: Federal Government has decided to outsource the monitoring (Inspection, Sampling, Testing, and Surveillance) of some seven products that fall under the mandatory items' list of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) through Public Private Partnership (PPP).

As per PSQCA officials, the decision came at a high level meeting held under the chairmanship of Shibli Faraz, Federal Minister for Science & Technology at Ministry of Science & Technology that was attended by Secretary Ministry of Science & Technology, DG PNAC, DG PSQCA, officials of MoST and Directors concerned to finalize the issue of outsourcing of some facilities of PSQCA as per Public Private Partnership.

It is decided in the meeting that at present seven products which will be outsourced include: 1. Bottled Drinking Water Pakistan Standards No. PS:4639; 2. Natural Mineral Water Pakistan Standards No. PS:2102; 3. A.C Watt hour meter. Pakistan Standards No. PS:IEC-60521; 4. Household refrigerating appliance Characteristics and test methods. PS:IEC 62552; 5. Clothes washing machine for household use Pakistan Standards No PS:IEC 60456; 6. Multiple split-system Air-conditioners and Air to Air heat pumps. PS:IEC 5327, and 7. Non-Ducked Air Conditioners and Heat Pump, Pakistan Standards No PS:5151.

Federal Minister emphasized the need of the outsourcing and appreciated the efforts in this regard. He said that transparency in work creates new jobs in the field of product certification and enhances effectiveness and efficiency of the organization, besides availability of quality products to consumers.

Minister informed that by outsourcing some facilities of PSQCA will ensure transparency, efficiency of the organization and will ensure the quality of products for consumer's use.

It was decided with the consultation of the Minister to launch a Phase-I with 07 products initially for out sourcing, and also conducting Inspection, Sampling, Testing and Surveillance. In this regard a committee under the Chairmanship of Secretary Ministry of Science & Technology was constituted.

The monitoring of the quality is being done as per Pakistan Conformity Assessment Rules 2011 where the some steps are involved: Receiving of application on prescribed format for Certification Marks License, Technical Evaluation of applications, Inspection of Manufacturing Units, Collection of Random Samples, Sending the samples to third party Laboratory/ PSQCA Lab for testing in accordance to relevant Pakistan Standards, Verification of the units by Dy. Director Technical PSQCA , Issuance of Licence(s), Manufacturing and Market Surveillance.

PSQCA is performing as a regulatory body for checking the quality of mandatory products notified by Federal Government through Gazette SRO's under Section 14 of PSQCA Act VI of 1996.

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