Nepal Standard certification to be internationally recognised soon

Nepal Standards (NS) certification is going to receive international recognition.

Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology issued certification for the domestic products is soon getting international recognition, said the bureau's director general Ram Adhar Sah, here today.

Speaking at a programme today, he said that domestic products bearing the NS mark will be eligible for export. "The bureau is waiting for the final approval for the NS certification from the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies, India. "The Indian accreditation bodies had recently conducted a final assessment and approved the capacity of our laboratories, investigating mechanism and human resources that are used to assess the products before awarding them the standard certification.

The Indian board is set to provide international recognition to the NS certification that has been awarded to Nepali instant noodles, GI wire, GI pipe, cement and bottled water. The bureau itself has recently received accreditation for its laboratories used to test the quality of these products.

The bureau has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian board to provide the necessary support. According to him, Pacific Accreditation Corporation – an association of accreditation bodies of certification – has been supporting capacity building at the bureau.

"The bureau – that is being promoted as the National Accreditation Focal Point in the country – has been approved for testing 28 parameters of these products by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories," he added.

As the bureau has received accreditation to issue ISO 9001:2008, a quality certification from the Indian board – issues the NS mark that is the quality assurance of domestic products. It has been issuing the NS logo to products that meet the standards related to manufacturing procedures and product quality besides the necessary compliance for physical security. The government has made it mandatory to obtain the NS logo for 12 products including dry cell, LPG regulator and valve, gas cylinder, PVC cable, GI wire, GI sheet, iron rod and cement.

But the bureau is working on getting international recognition for its laboratories used to test cement, textile, volume and temperature by the end of this fiscal year.

Companies awarded for better quality

KATHMANDU: Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology has honoured five companies with the NS Quality Award for the fiscal year 2012-13. Trade secretary awarded Asian Paints of Hetauda for its enamel paints, while Panchakanya Plastic of Bhairahawa has been honoured for its HDPE pipe and Pashupati Filter Candle Udyog for its LPG regulator in the categories of medium and small-scale factories, respectively for their outstanding quality. Similarly, Panchakanya Plastic Industries and Nepal Cylinder Industries received letters of appreciation too.