Who we are
The Quality Council of India (QCI) is India’s national body for accreditation and quality promotion. Established in 1996, QCI works to strengthen trust, credibility, and standards across sectors, helping build systems that improve the quality of life of citizens and enhance India’s global competitiveness.
QCI operates as an autonomous, non-profit organisation through a unique public–private partnership between the Government of India and India’s leading industry associations.
Vision
QCI envisions an India where quality is embedded into every system, institution, and service, driving global competitiveness, inclusive growth, and a better quality of life for all.
This vision draws inspiration from the address by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at the 2nd National Quality Conclave in 2007, where he emphasised that national prosperity must combine economic growth with quality of life, strong value systems, and global competitiveness.
Mission
To lead India’s national quality movement by engaging all stakeholders and promoting adherence to quality standards across sectors, in the interest of the nation and its citizens.
QCI was established to create a robust, independent system for third-party assessment of products, services, and processes. It plays a pivotal role at the national level in:
- Promoting adoption of quality standards
- Enabling credible conformity assessment
- Strengthening institutional trust
- Supporting continuous improvement across sectors
QCI’s work spans healthcare, education, environment, governance, social development, infrastructure, manufacturing, and services, contributing directly to national development and citizen well-being.
QCI is a pioneering example of a national institution built through a public–private partnership model. It is supported by the Government of India and the country’s leading industry associations:
- ASSOCHAM
- Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
- Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
This structure ensures professional governance, operational independence, and global credibility, while remaining aligned with national priorities.
Since 1992, a need had been felt for the establishment of a national accreditation body to create an internationally acceptable mechanism for recognition of conformity assessment results. While an accreditation body for laboratories already existed under the Ministry of Science and Technology, a comprehensive national framework was missing.
A multi-stakeholder committee, including representatives from various ministries and industry, was constituted to make suitable recommendations. The work was coordinated by the then Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, now known as the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). These recommendations were submitted to the Cabinet in 1996.
Key recommendations included the need to establish an organisation jointly by the Government and industry, and the need for this organisation to be self-sustaining and independent of direct government control.
Accepting these recommendations, the Cabinet Committee decided to set up the Quality Council of India as a non-profit autonomous society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. QCI was mandated to establish a national accreditation structure and to spread the quality movement in India through a National Quality Campaign.
The Quality Council of India represents a pioneering initiative by the Government of India to create an institution in partnership with Indian industry.
Leadership and Governance
Chairpersons of QCI
| Name | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Mr. Ratan N. Tata | 1997 to 1999 |
| Mr. Venu Srinivasan | 1999 to 2001 |
| Dr. R. A. Mashelkar | 2001 to 2007 |
| Mr. Ajay Shankar | 2007 to 2010 |
| Mr. Arun Maira | 2010 to 2013 |
| Mr. Saurabh Chandra | 2013 to 2014 |
| Mr. Amitabh Kant | 2014 |
| Mr. Adil Zainulbhai | 2014 to 2022 |
| Mr. Jaxay Shah | 2022 to Present |
Secretary Generals of QCI
| Name | Tenure |
|---|---|
| Mr. Vijay Kumar Mediratta | 18 October 1998 to 14 November 2003 |
| Dr. Girdhar J. Gyani | 3 December 2003 to 21 May 2012 |
| Mr. B. Venkataraman | 22 May 2013 to 31 August 2014 |
| Dr. Ravi P. Singh | 29 September 2014 to 28 September 2023 |
| Mr. Rajesh Maheshwari | 29 September 2023 to 14 April 2024 |
| Mr. Chakravarthy T. Kannan | 15 April 2024 to Present |