CCTV players left in lurch as govt declines deadline extension for key certification

Following the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) declining any further time extension for a key certification required for operating CCTV cameras, several Chinese and medium & small-scale Indian players that rely on Chinese sourcing are staring at an uncertain future. Many CCTV manufacturers and vendors earlier met with IT ministry officials to request an extension of the deadline for obtaining the Standardization Testing and Quality Certification (STQC), which was introduced in March 2024 for CCTV players.

With over 80 percent of surveillance products in the country relying on Chinese components and cloud infrastructure, this move is expected to have a significant impact on the demand-supply chain, experts said.

They further added that many low-cost CCTV camera operators may struggle to comply with the certification requirements and will likely require significant investment to develop new products that meet these requirements.

The Federation of All India Information Technology Associations (FAIITA), in a recent letter, sought the intervention of Union Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and warned that the new STQC requirement puts over 1,000 MSME units in the CCTV manufacturing sector at risk of closure.

"With over 1,000 MSME factories at risk of closure, the livelihoods of more than 4,00,000 individuals are hanging in the balance. The current challenges — including rising production costs, supply chain disruptions and stringent compliance requirements — are exacerbated by the difficulties in meeting STQC standards without adequate technological support," the body said.

However, TEMA, a body representing telecom and ICT products, supported the Meity decision.