| 0.1 |
The Export Inspection Council of India (EIC) is the official export inspection and certification body of India set up under the Export (Quality Control & Inspection) Act, 1963 to ensure sound development of India's export trade through quality control and inspection. It operates through its field organisations, Export Inspection Agencies (EIAs), set up under Section 7 of the Act, headquartered at Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Kolkota and Mumbai, with a network of 44 sub-offices including laboratories in important ports and industrial centres in India. |
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| 0.2 |
Under Section 7(1) of the Act, the Central Government has powers to recognise inspection agencies subject to conditions as deemed fit by notification in the Official Gazette. Further, Rule 12 of the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Rules, 1964, relating to 'Agency for quality control or inspection or both' provides as under: |
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| (1) | Any authority or organization desiring itself to be recognized as an agency under sub-section (1) of section 7 may apply to the Central Government furnishing particulars of its constitution and the resources at its disposal for carrying out the functions of an agency specified in the Act together with an undertaking that it shall comply with the provisions of the Act and these rules or of any order, direction or instruction which may, from time to time, be made, issued or given by the Central Government (or the Director). | |
| (2) | On receipt of an application from any such authority or organization, the Central Government, if it is satisfied after making necessary enquiries that the authority or organization is fit to act as an agency may, by notification in the Official Gazette recognize such authority or organization as an agency for the purpose of sub-section (1) of section 7, subject to such conditions, if any, as may be specified in the notification. | |
| (3) | The recognition may be granted for a period of three years and may be renewed from time to time for periods not exceeding three years at a time...' | |
| 0.3 |
Accordingly EIC has been operating a Scheme for Recognition of Inspection Agencies. The Scheme has been revised to align it with the international standard for accreditation of inspection bodies ISO/IEC 17020:1998 'General criteria for operation of various types of bodies performing inspection'. |
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| 0.4 |
The EIC Inspection Agency Recognition Scheme, 2002 shall come into force with effect from 1 February 2002; however, inspection agencies already holding recognition shall be allowed time till 31 December 2002 to obtain fresh recognition as per the revised Scheme. |
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| 1.1 |
This document lays down the guidelines for applicants, criteria for recognition, terms and conditions of recognition, and financial aspects for according recognition/renewal of recognition to inspection agencies. |
| 1.2 |
The recognition of inspection agencies under the Scheme shall be for each individual branch/centre separately and not for operations all over India. |
| 2.1 |
The Criteria for Recognition under the Scheme has been revised to align it with the international standard for accreditation of inspection bodies, ISO/IEC 17020:1998 'General criteria for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection' and reference to the clauses of the above standard has been given, wherever needed. |
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| 2.2 |
The inspection agency seeking recognition under the Scheme shall implement quality management systems to meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17020 with the following provisions: |
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| 2.2.1 |
The agency shall be a Type A inspection body providing 3rd party inspection services conforming to Clause 4.2.1 of the standard under Clause 4 on 'Independence, impartiality and integrity'. |
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| 2.2.2 |
The inspection agency shall generally not sub-contract any part of its inspection work. In exceptional circumstances it may sub-contract part of its work provided that the sub-contractor meets the requirements of Type A inspection body as per ISO/IEC 17020 and is recognised under the Scheme, with prior written permission of EIC and with due notification in advance to the client. |
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| 2.2.3 |
The inspection agency shall maintain a laboratory to support its inspection work and the same shall comply with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:1999 'General requirements for the competence of Testing and Calibration laboratories'. |
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| 3.1 | APPLICATION | |||
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3.1.1
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Any agency desiring recognition as an inspection agency for any of the notified commodities under the Act shall furnish an application in duplicate in the prescribed proforma accompanied by an application fee of Rs.5000/- (non-refundable) as given in the Schedule of Fee in Clause 9 and a copy of its Quality Manual. The application should be complete in all respects and should be accompanied by necessary documents in relation to its activities as well as quality management systems implemented by it. | |||
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3.1.2
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On receipt, the application shall be scrutinized for completeness to decide its acceptability or otherwise. Once the application is accepted, it shall be given an application number and duly acknowledged. | |||
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3.1.2.1 | In case of any deficiencies, EIC may either call for supplementary information or reject the application giving reasons for the same in writing. | ||
| 3.2 | ADEQUACY AUDIT | |||
| 3.2.1 | After the application has been accepted, the Quality Manual submitted by the applicant shall be examined by EIC for verifying its adequacy and conformity to the Criteria for Recognition given in Clause 2 based on ISO/IEC 17020:1998. Any deficiencies observed in the Manual shall be duly communicated to the applicant for taking suitable corrective actions and resubmission of the Manual for re-examination. EIC shall process the application further when the Manual is adjudged to be adequate. | |||
| 3.3 | INITIAL AUDIT | |||
| 3.3.1 | EIC shall organise an audit of the agency by deputing a team of at least two auditors to check compliance to the documented quality system and technical competence. | |||
| 3.3.2 | The audit will comprise the following: | |||
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a)
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Opening Meeting - This meeting will be conducted by the audit team leader in which the Chief Executive Officer of the agency, the management representative and heads of all the divisions being audited are expected to be present. During this meeting, the team leader will explain the scope and extent of the audit as well as the plan for audit. | |||
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b)
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Conduct of Audit - The audit shall be conducted as per the audit plan agreed to during the opening meeting, and shall cover all areas of the agency relevant to the scope of recognition. Audit shall include verification of infrastructure and facilities, examination of documents and records, and assessment of competence of technical personnel. A guide, who is conversant with the activities of the division(s) being audited, should accompany each auditor. The non-conformities observed by the audit team shall be handed over to the agency at the end of each day for necessary corrective action. | |||
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c)
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Closing meeting - The initial audit shall conclude with a closing meeting during which the audit team shall present its findings to the agency. All the members present in the opening meeting should preferably be present in the closing meeting. The non-conformity reports will be signed by Management Representative or authorized signatory, as a token of acceptance and time frame for the corrective action(s) will be agreed to. | |||
| 3.3.3 | Before the initial audit is undertaken, the applicant shall have conducted at least one internal quality audit and one management review to ensure the implementation of the documented quality system. | |||
| 3.4 | AUDIT FEE | |||
| 3.4.1 | The applicant shall pay an audit fee in advance, the estimate of which will be provided by EIC, depending upon the man-days expected to be spent on the audit and the anticipated expenses for travel/stay etc. and based on the Schedule of Fee given in Clause 9. | |||
| 3.5 | RESPONSIBILITIES OF APPLICANT DURING AUDIT | |||
| 3.5.1 | The agency is expected to provide the following assistance to the audit team during the visit: | |||
| a) | arrangements for stay, local guidance and travel etc. | |||
| b) | a suitable room where members of the team can meet and discuss during the day and at the end of the day to exchange their notes and findings. | |||
| c) | secretarial and other office assistance like photocopying etc. | |||
| 3.6 | FOLLOW UP ON INITIAL AUDIT | |||
| 3.6.1 | In case the team reports non-conformities, the agency shall take necessary corrective actions which may have to be verified by EIC before grant of recognition is considered. This may call for a follow up visit, for full or partial assessment, as the case may be. | |||
| 3.7 | RECOGNITION | |||
| 3.7.1 | Based on the findings of the audit team and satisfactory report and assessment of fitness to act as an agency, the case for grant of recognition shall be placed before Director (I&Q/C), EIC for recommendation to the Central Government for recognition and notification. | |||
| 3.7.2 | The recognition shall be granted for an initial period of three years, renewable for maximum of three years at a time. | |||
| 3.8 | CONSIDERATION FOR ACCREDITATION | |||
| 3.8.1 | If the agency already holds accreditation based on ISO/IEC 17020:1998, due consideration would be given to it. | |||
| 4.1 | All recognised inspection agencies shall be subject to surveillance audits at least once a year by EIC to verify the effective implementation and maintenance of the quality system established by the lab. |
| 4.2 | During the operation of recognition, if the agency fails to observe the terms and conditions of Recognition, its recognition is liable to be suspended and may call for special visits for which the agency is liable to pay special visit charges, as set out in Schedule of Fee given in Clause 9. |
| 5.1 |
Any recognised inspection agency can request for extension of its scope of recognition to cover additional areas by making a written request. In case changes are to be made to the Quality Manual, the revised Manual shall also be submitted. The request shall be examined by EIC to assess whether a visit is required for verification or not. In case a visit is to be made, audit fee shall be payable as given in Clause 3.4 above. However, no application fee shall be payable for extension of scope. |
| 6.1 |
Any recognition granted automatically expires at the end of the period of its validity. A renewal notice will be issued to recognised inspection agency by EIC four months before expiry of validity. However, the responsibility for applying for renewal in time shall be that of the agency. |
| 6.2 |
The agency shall submit the renewal application along with the prescribed application fee at least three months in advance of the expiry of the current recognition period. A renewal audit, similar to the initial audit, shall be carried out for considering further renewal. |
| 6.3 |
If any non-conformities are found during the renewal audit, the agency shall have to take necessary corrective actions, which may need to be verified by EIC, before the recognition is renewed for a further period of maximum of three years. |
| 6.4 |
The renewal shall be based on assessment of performance during the previous validity period and report of renewal audit. Any complaints received during the period shall also be duly considered. |
| 7.1 | EIC may, at its discretion, suspend recognition of an agency, if a complaint or any other information is received which indicates that the agency is not maintaining the Criteria for Recognition and/or its technical competence and / or integrity is not satisfactory. |
| 8.1 |
The recognition of an inspection agency shall automatically expire at the end of its validity, unless renewal is sought by the agency concerned along with the prescribed fees. |
| 8.2 | The recognition of an agency shall also expire if the renewal is not agreed to by the Central Government. |
| 8.3 | The recognition of an agency may also be withdrawn any time during the recognition period for any of the following reasons: |
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8.3.1 |
If EIC feels that no useful purpose is being served by the continuation of the recognition of the agency; |
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8.3.2 |
If the agency is unable to maintain the Criteria for Recognition. |
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8.3.3 |
If the technical competence or integrity is not satisfactory based any information or complaint. |
| 8.4 | EIC shall issue a show cause notice in case it intends to withdraw recognition of an agency as per Clause 8.3.2 or 8.3.3 above, after due investigation, if required. The concerned agency shall be given an opportunity to explain its view point before any action is taken against it. |
| 8.5 | The inspection agency, whose approval has been withdrawn, may apply for fresh approval not earlier than one year from the date of withdrawal of approval. |
| 9.1 |
The following are the charges payable under
the Scheme: |
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| 9.2 | The inspection agency shall make these payments in the form of Demand Draft/Pay Order drawn in favour of the 'EXPORT INSPECTION AGENCY-DELHI/ BOMBAY/ CALCUTTA/ MADRAS/ COCHIN (as applicable depending upon the location of the inspection agency |
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APPLICATION FOR RECOGNITION/RENEWAL OF RECOGNITION UNDER EIC INSPECTION AGENCY RECOGNITION SCHEME, 2002 |
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