REGIONAL TESTING CENTRES (RTCs) AND
FIELD TESTING STATIONS (FTSs)

1. LOCATIONS

i. RTCs : New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata & Chennai,

ii. FTSs : Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kolhapur, Pondicherry, Bhopal, Bangalore, Chenganacherry,

OBJECTIVES

(a) To provide testing facilities to enable small industries to produce stores conforming to IS Specifications

(b) To provide testing facilities in accordance with the requirements of DGS&D and other purchasing departments of State and Central Governments.

(c) To provide testing facilities under pre shipment inspection scheme to facilitate export of small industries products.

(d) To provide facilities for testing under quality marking scheme introduced by State Govts.

(e) To help the individual units to set up in house testing arrangements in a more feasible and practical way.

(f) To coordinate with Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and other technical testing / inspection organisations in matters relating to standardisation of products in small scale sector.

(g) To provide calibration services to the units including those covered under ISO-9000 to meet their mandatory requirement.

(h) To provide training in testing and calibration, as a measure to strengthen availability of trained manpower in the industry.

(i) To provide testing facilities to the export oriented units in order to build quality of the products manufactured by SSI sector and thereby improve the export performance from this sector for specified products.

2. INVESTMENT IN PLANT AND MACHINERY       Rs. 451.9 lakhs as on 31-03-2006

 

3. PERFORMANCE:

The performance of RTCs during the last 5 years and the self-sufficiency achieved by these centres are given below:

Year

Revenue earned
(Rs. in lakhs)

Self sufficiency

2001-02

245.54

71.95%

2002-03

238.80

69.35%

2003-04

268.50

78.24%

2004-05

259.74

70.60%

2005-06

247.60

62.92%

The performance of FTSs during the last 5 years and the self-sufficiency achieved by these centres are given below:

Year

Revenue earned
(Rs. in lakhs)

Self sufficiency

2001-02

46.78

67.45%

2002-03

50.38

61.55%

2003-04

61.59

78.64%

2004-05

82.88

93.33%

2005-06

85.25

88.26%

4. ACCREDITED TO

All the four RTCs are accredited by National Accreditation Board of Laboratories in India(NABL) . Besides some of the RTCs have also been recognized by Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS), National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC), Rail India Technical Evaluation Services(RITES), Pollution Control Board etc.

 

5. FUTURE PROGRAMME

During the 11th Five Year Plan a provision of Rs. 13 crores has been envisaged for the modernising, strengthening and diversification of all the four RTCs and Rs. 12 crores for seven FTSs for enabling them to meet the new emerging demands of the industry and equip them with the State of art machinery and testing equipments etc.

Testing Centres by Industries Associations:

A Scheme was initiated during the year 1994-95 for providing one time grant-in-aid not exceeding Rs. 20.00 lakhs to the industries Associations to establish quality counseling and Common Testing Facilities. Under the Scheme, the Industries Association including Chamber of Commerce & Industrial cooperatives registered under the Societies Act or any other statute were encouraged to establish quality counseling and common testing facilities. The State Govt. was to provide for matching grant-in-aid for 50% of the cost of machinery & equipment to the concerned Industry Associations.

Under this scheme the existing quality testing centres of the State Govt. were also eligible to avail grant-in-aid not exceeding Rs, 20.00 lakhs for purchase of testing equipments and machinery. The, Govt. of India however modified the scheme in 2001, where in Industry Associations and Quality Marking Centres of the State Govt. desirous of setting up of Testing Laboratories of the International Standards are standards are eligible for one time grant-in-aid of the 50% of the cost of testing machinery and equipment not exceeding Rs. 50.00 lakhs for purchase of testing equipments and machinery. Industry Associations, the State Govt. or Autonomous bodes however are required to meet the expenditure on infrastructural facilities like land & building, 50% cost of equipment and recurring cost from their own resources . Condition of matching grant-in-aid from the concerned state Govt. has been waived off. This scheme is in-force w.e.f. 1.4.2001.

Objectives

  • To offer facilities mainly to the small scale units located in the State for testing quality of raw materials, components and end products.
  • To help the small scale units in obtaining ISI mark for their products.
  • To offer consultancy services and improving the quality of products.
  • To promote standardization and provide necessary information for products and material specifications.
  • To extend quality assurance and assist institutions such as the Bureau of Indian
  • Standards, Export inspection Agency, National Productivity Council, Govt. and non- Governmental Organizations in the region.
  • To promote the total quality management concept and assist the units in obtaining accreditation for ISO 9000/ BIS 14000.

Eligibility:

Industries Associations, including Chamber of Industries or the Industrial Cooperatives representing the small scale industry and registered under the Societies Act and existing QMC of State Govt., or their Autonomous bodies can avail grant-in-aid under this Scheme.

The following Associations/Laboratories of the State Governments have been assisted under the Scheme so far.

1994-95 To 2000-01

Karnataka Material Testing and Research Centre, Hubli.

Gadag Industrial Cooperatives Estate, Gadag.

All Manipur Entrepreneurs Association, Imphal.

Consortium of Electronic Industries of Karnataka, Bangalore.

*J&K Small Industries Development Corpn., Gangyal.

ITI Ancilliary Industries Association, Bangalore.

Belgaum Small Scale Industries Association, Belgaum.

Kanara Small Scale Industries Association, Mangalore.

*Quality Marking Centre for Engineering Goods, Jagadhari.

Challekara Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Challekara.

MIDC Industries Association, Nagpur.

Hyderabad Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Gulbarga.

*Regional Testing Laboratory, Madurai.

*Chemical Testing & Analytical Laboratory, Chennai.

*Quality Marking Centre, Guwahati.

2001 To Till Date

*Common Testing & Development Centre, Ernakulum, Kerala

*Central Electrical Testing Laboratory, Kakkalur, Tamil Nadu

 

*These are existing laboratories under State Govt.