Govt extends quality control order deadline for electrical appliances to Oct 2026

The government on Monday extended the implementation timeline for mandatory quality control order (QCO) for household, commercial and similar electrical appliances till October 1, 2026.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on April 6 issued the Safety of Household, Commercial and Similar Electrical Appliances (Quality Control) Order, 2026, superseding the earlier 2025 order.

The latest order effectively pushes the compliance deadline further, after the previous notification had already been extended in May 2025 till March this year.

The norms mandate that a wide range of electrical appliances conform to specified Indian standards and bear the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark under a licence.

The order will apply to appliances with rated voltage up to 250 volts for single-phase and 480 volts for other categories, including battery-operated and direct current-powered devices, as detailed in the notification.

An extensive list of products, including cooking ranges, ovens, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, air-cleaning appliances and several battery-operated devices, falls under the ambit of the order.

The notification also provides staggered timelines for smaller firms, with small enterprises required to comply by January 1, 2027, and micro enterprises by April 1, 2027.

The move is important as the government is looking at ways to encourage companies to ramp up production of induction heaters and compatible utensils amid rising demand for these products due to concerns over LPG availability following the West Asia crisis.

The government has also deferred the implementation of mandatory star labelling norms for induction cooktops by six months to January 1, 2027.

The Ministry of Power, in a gazette notification, said the mandatory phase of star rating for countertop induction hobs, which was earlier scheduled to come into force from July 1, 2026, has been postponed by six months.

The government last week held discussions on measures to encourage companies to ramp up production of induction heaters and compatible utensils to meet the rising demand.

“We discussed how we can speed up and increase the production of induction heaters and vessels that go on those heaters,” an official said, adding that these products are currently “selling like hot cakes” in the market.