Union Minister Pralhad Joshi called for transforming the National Test House (NTH) into a premier global testing and certification organisation as India's manufacturing sector expands. Speaking at the 115th Foundation Day celebration of NTH after inaugurating a state-of-the-art NTH building, Joshi emphasized that India was moving towards becoming a global manufacturing hub and needed reliable domestic testing facilities. According to reports from Business Standard, Joshi claimed that NTH was on the verge of being closed in 2012 but survived due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to create a manufacturing ecosystem in the country.
The minister highlighted significant growth in NTH's financial performance, stating that institution's turnover had increased from ₹10-20 crore earlier to ₹50 crore. As reported by Business Standard, Joshi cautioned against complacency and urged aggressive expansion, emphasizing that NTH should go very, very aggressively to meet India's growing testing requirements. He also called for expanding testing into emerging sectors including electric vehicles, renewable energy, aerospace, defence and electronics.
Joshi emphasized India's position in international testing standards, noting that India is the 13th nation in the Organisation of International Legal Metrology where measurements are recognised worldwide. According to Business Standard, he urged NTH to consider converting into a company so that it could function with greater responsibility and ensure worldwide acceptance of certificates issued by it. The minister highlighted that NTH had received testing samples from Sri Lanka, Dubai, Bahrain and Bhutan, describing it as a positive development for global recognition.
Joshi outlined India's ambitious manufacturing goals, stating that India will be the manufacturing hub of the world by 2047 under the Viksit Bharat initiative. As reported by Business Standard, he attributed India's manufacturing potential to its young population, talent, scientists and growing startup ecosystem. The minister highlighted that India's exports had reached USD 863 billion and electronic manufacturing had increased four to five times, while manufacturing was expanding across several other sectors.
NTH has expanded its testing facilities to include 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. According to Business Standard, Joshi specifically highlighted the newly inaugurated EV battery testing facility in Bengaluru to address safety concerns in electric vehicles. He also called for developing standards for defence exports as domestic manufacturing expands, emphasizing that NTH should become a premier organisation with the target that people should feel confident about NTH certificates.
