Indian Delegation meets German Partners

India

A delegation of the Indian Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and the Bureau of Indian Standards met partners, QI institutions and companies in Germany. Together, they exchanged views on current developments in quality infrastructure (QI). The occasion for the trip was the 9th Annual Meeting of the Indo-German Working Group Quality Infrastructure.

People pose together in front of a lift for a group photo.
Experts discuss current developments in standardisation at the meeting with DIN and DKE © DKE

India and Germany have been working closely together for over ten years within the framework of the Indo-German Working Group QI. For this year's meeting of the working group, a four-member delegation visited Germany from 24 to 27 April 2023. The delegation with representatives from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution - (MoCAF&PD) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) was led by Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary for Consumer Affairs at MoCAF&PD. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) received the delegation from the German side.

 

New solutions for a modern and agile QI

The delegation programme started in Berlin with a visit of the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung - BAM). As a higher federal authority and research institute for science and technology, BAM tests, researches and advises on safety in technology and chemistry. The aim is to protect people, the environment and material goods. The visit focused on modern QI. For example, the experts discussed the development of a hydrogen filling station as a real laboratory. This is a pilot project of the QI Digital Initiative funded by BMWK.

 

This was followed by an exchange with the German Institute for Standardization (Deutsches Institut für Normung - DIN) and the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies in DIN and VDE (Deutsche Kommission für Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik in DIN und VDE - DKE). The meeting focused on current developments in standardisation in Germany, Europe and India. Representatives from both sides presented their focus areas in the green and digital transformation, for example circular economy, smart farming or artificial intelligence (AI).

 

Highlight of the trip: the 9th Annual Meeting of the Indo-German Working Group QI

People pose together in front of the BMWK logo.
Participants of the 9th Annual Meeting of the QI Working Group © Thomas Ecke / GIZ

The 9th Annual Meeting of the Working Group QI was the highlight of the delegation trip. It marked the tenth anniversary of the Working Group. Dr Daniela Brönstrup, Director General for Digital and Innovation Policy (BMWK), and Nidhi Khare thanked the stakeholders for their high level of commitment over many years. Without them, this successful cooperation would not be possible.

 

 

Following the Annual Meeting, a bilateral exchange on market surveillance took place. Experts from BMWK, the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur - BNetzA) and the Indian delegation discussed aspects of e-commerce.

 

Mutual understanding in the field of digitalisation strengthened

People with orange safety waistcoats and helmets pose in a production hall.
The Indian delegation visits Siemens © Siemens

In Berlin at DIN CERTCO, the focus was on conformity assessment. The participants exchanged views on implementation procedures in Germany and India. During the subsequent visit to Siemens, Industry 4.0 applications were practically demonstrated. The experts emphasised the relevance of cyber security in industrial applications. The day was concluded with a visit to DEKRA. DEKRA presented certification approaches in the field of cyber security and test procedures for AI applications.

 

German metrology in practice

A group of people stand in front of a man who points to a poster he is presenting.
The delegation visits PTB and the atomic clock © GPQI / GIZ

The visit of the German National Metrology Institute (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt - PTB) in Brunswick marked the end of the trip. The delegation visited two research laboratories on time propagation and mass. The participants experienced an atomic clock and prototypes of different magnitudes of mass. The atomic clocks of the PTB are among the most accurate clocks in the world.

 

The Indian delegation trip to Germany strengthened the relations with German partners. It deepened the technical dialogues in all QI areas. The dialogue will be continued in the coming months. Expert meetings and workshops are already planned.

 

Information on upcoming events can be found on the website here: Events

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