Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy, visited the National Test House Western Region campus in Mumbai on June 19, 2026, to inaugurate new testing facilities and lay the foundation stone for future expansion of testing infrastructure. The event marked a significant milestone in strengthening India's quality assurance and testing infrastructure under the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India.
During the event, the Minister performed Bhoomi Pujan and laid the foundation stone for the expansion of testing infrastructure at NTH Mumbai. In his address, he emphasized that robust testing and certification infrastructure plays a vital role in protecting consumer interests, enhancing product reliability, and facilitating ease of doing business. He noted that strengthening the country's quality ecosystem is essential for improving the global competitiveness of Indian products and advancing the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The Minister inaugurated three specific facilities: a Microbiological Testing Laboratory at National Test House, Mumbai; a Shoe Testing Facility at National Test House (Northern Region), Ghaziabad; and an NTH-AURIC Satellite Centre at NICDC, AURIC City, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra. These facilities are expected to significantly augment testing capacity in critical sectors, promote compliance with national and international standards, and support consumer safety and industrial competitiveness.
The event was attended by Member of Parliament from Mumbai North West, Shri Ravindra Waikar, who highlighted the importance of robust quality infrastructure. Senior officials from the Department of Consumer Affairs including Smt. Nidhi Khare (Secretary) and Smt. Richa Misra (Additional Secretary) underscored NTH's pivotal role in ensuring product quality and safeguarding consumer interests. Dr. Alok Kumar Srivastava, Director General of National Test House, presented a comprehensive overview of NTH's expanding capabilities, ongoing initiatives, and strategic roadmap for the future.
The infrastructure expansion reflects the Government's continued commitment to developing world-class quality infrastructure to support industry, trade and consumer welfare, building on National Test House's more than a century of excellence in providing trusted, scientific, and globally benchmarked testing services.