New Delhi, July 8 -- The Union steel ministry has deferred the implementation of a 13 June quality control order (QCO) on imports of finished steel products by four months, after small importers raised concerns regarding shipments already in transit.

According to a piece of correspondence seen by Mint, the ministry, in consultation with the industry on 7 July, decided to defer the tightening of imports by allowing shipments of steel products without Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification.

The 13 June notification had made it mandatory for importers to get a BIS stamp of approval.

The notification was an addendum to an August 2024 QCO, and specifically extended the QCO requirements to the input materials used in steel and steel ...