Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday called for transforming the National Test House into a premier global testing and certification organisation and stressed the need to expand its capacity in line with India’s growing manufacturing sector.
Addressing the 115th Foundation Day celebration of the National Test House (NTH) after the inauguration of state-of-the-art NTH building here, Joshi said India was moving towards becoming a global manufacturing hub and needed reliable domestic testing facilities.
He also virtually inaugurated several crucial facilities and initiatives across the broader NTH network to expand nationwide testing capabilities and improve accessibility.
Joshi claimed that NTH was on the verge of being closed in 2012 but the institution had survived and was moving forward due to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create a manufacturing ecosystem in the country.
“Quality is the foundation of a strong India,” Joshi said, emphasising the importance of domestic testing and certification.
He said state governments should be made aware of the testing capabilities available in India, noting that government tenders still sometimes seek certification from foreign agencies and testing laboratories.
“Our state governments, even now, when they invite some tenders, for certification, they ask for certification from a foreign agency, from a foreign testing laboratory. One thing is that the state government does not even know that there is an institution called NTH. That is their ignorance…We have failed in informing the states. We also have to understand this,” Joshi said.
Urging NTH officials to create awareness about its testing facilities, the Minister said, “So, we have to convince our state government first, and other departments also.” Joshi said India was the 13th nation in the Organisation of International Legal Metrology where measurements were recognised worldwide, and stressed the need to promote the country’s testing capabilities globally.
“Today, the testing is being done in India. Not only that, people are accepting it. Because today, the work we are doing on Atmanirbhar Bharat is the result of this, under the leadership of the Prime Minister,” he said.
The minister said the NTH should consider being converted into a company so that it could function with greater responsibility and ensure worldwide acceptance of certificates issued by it.
“We will try to make it a company, where this company which issues the certificate, worldwide its acceptance should be there,” he said.
He also called for expanding testing into emerging sectors, including electric vehicles, renewable energy, aerospace, defence and electronics.
Referring to the newly inaugurated EV battery testing facility in Bengaluru, Joshi said, “We see, many times whenever we see EV vehicles catching fire, there is a problem in the battery. To test all these things and also to ensure their safety, we have inaugurated this facility in Bengaluru.” He said testing would be increasingly important as India expands manufacturing of products that were earlier largely imported.
Joshi said NTH should also prepare for testing components and products manufactured domestically as India moves towards greater self-reliance.
He said NTH had also expanded testing facilities for coal, solar water heaters, solar modules and pressure cookers, besides providing an online facility through the NTH Suvidha application for customers to submit products for testing and receive results.
He also highlighted India’s growth in defence exports and said standards would have to be developed for products as domestic manufacturing expands.
“So, NTH should become a premier organisation,” he said.
Joshi said the institution’s turnover had increased from Rs 10-20 crore earlier to Rs 50 crore, but cautioned against complacency.
“There should not be any complacency. You should go very, very aggressively,” he said.
The minister said NTH had received testing samples from Sri Lanka, Dubai, Bahrain and Bhutan, describing it as a positive development.
He said India was on course to become a manufacturing hub of the world by 2047.
“By 2047, it will be Viksit Bharat. Nobody should have any doubt about this. And we will be the manufacturing hub of the world,” he said.
He attributed India’s manufacturing potential to its young population, talent, scientists and growing startup ecosystem.
Joshi said India’s exports had reached USD 863 billion and electronic manufacturing had increased four to five times, while manufacturing was also expanding across several other sectors.
“The only thing we need is a good testing facility. People should feel that if there is an NTH certificate, then we can take that product with our eyes closed. This arrangement has to be made by NTH. That is the target we should keep for ourselves,” he said.
Joshi also invoked Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya’s engineering philosophy, saying testing was essential to forecasting and preventing failures.
“His life work was to build on the fundamental engineering principle that true brilliance lies not just in creating, but in forecasting and preventing the failures…That was the concept of Sri Visvesvaraya,” he added.
Joshi congratulated NTH officials for their work but called for greater speed and scale, empathising that India is the fastest-growing economy in the world today.
“We have got tremendous opportunity. NTH should also be part of this opportunity, and should remain there quickly, and should shine. This is my hope,” Joshi added.
