The move will give smaller footwear manufacturers additional time to obtain certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
It has also allowed footwear manufacturers to import up to 4,500 pairs annually for research, design development, testing and other non-commercial purposes without complying with QCO requirements, according to a notification issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
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However, such imported footwear is “not be sold commercially, be marked and embossed with the words ‘NOT FOR SALE’ and disposed of as scrap”, it said in the notification amending the Footwear made from all Rubber and all Polymeric Material and its Components (Quality Control) Order, 2024.
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Leather footwear continues to be governed by a separate quality-control regime under the footwear made from leather and other materials (quality control) order, 2024, which mandates BIS certification for 12 categories of footwear.