National Test House approved as drone certification body

Why in News?

• Recently the Quality Council of India approved the Ghaziabad branch of National Test House as a certification body for type certification of drones.
• Now the National Test House is playing a vital role in ensuring that drones manufactured in India adhere to the highest standards of safety, quality and performance.
• This initiative is in line with the Government's vision to establish India as a global hub for drone technology.

 National test house:

• It is a premier testing and quality assurance institution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
• Established in 1912
• It carries out almost all types of testing, calibration and quality assessment related to industry, commerce, trade etc. as per international and national standards.
• Currently it has branches in Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Guwahati and Varanasi.

Quality Council of India (QCI):

• It was established as a national body in the year 1996.
• It was set up through the PPP model with the support of the Government of India and three major industry associations -
  • Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India
  • Confederation of Indian Industry
  • FICCI
• It aims to establish a mechanism for independent third-party evaluation of products, services and processes.