SME Times News Bureau | 23 Oct, 2014
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise
(MSME) has been awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification, demonstrating the Ministry's
mission of promoting the growth and development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with dedication
and commitment.
Speaking on the occasion Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for Micro, Small &
Medium Enterprises expressed happiness over this accomplishment and stated it
is a matter of pride that the Ministry is one of the first in Government of
India to be awarded ISO certification.
He appreciated the hard work put in by the officers and
staff to align the systems and procedures with the requirements of ISO
standards.
He further stated that implementation of ISO standards will enable the Ministry
to identify areas for improvement and also bring in transparency and
accountability in the functioning.
Cabinet Secretariat had issued Guidelines to all Ministries/Departments for
obtaining ISO Certification. Accordingly, this Ministry had started the
preparations in December 2013 by constituting a Management Committee to give
direction and momentum to the implementation of ISO 9001:2008. Several rounds
of training were imparted to the Ministry's personnel and the Quality Manuals
were prepared in line with the ISO requirements.
During implementation of ISO 9001: 2008 standards, the Ministry was able to
develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for its functions and activities
and compare and benchmark these standard operating procedures with other
similar organizations in Government of India, states, private sector or
international organizations.
The award of ISO 9001:2008 certification indicates that the Ministry has
implemented a quality management system that enables it to consistently provide
services that meets customer and applicable statutory and regulatory
requirements, and to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective
application of the system, including processes for continual improvement of the
system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and
regulatory requirements.
TUV India Ltd was engaged as the Certifying Body for audit of Quality
Management Systems of the Ministry as per ISO Standards. Subsequent to the successful
completion Stage1 and 2 Audit in September, 2014, the Certifying Body has awarded
ISO 9001: 2008 Certificate to the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises.
Implementation of ISO 9001: 2008
standards will help the Ministry to identify areas for improving functioning
and also bring in transparency and accountability in the operations of
government machinery.