Since 1992 a need had been felt for the establishment of an accreditation body in the country to establish internationally acceptable mechanism for recognition of conformity assessment results. With regards to laboratories, an accreditation body under the Ministry of Science & Technology was already functioning. A committee which included various interested ministries and stakeholders including industries was established to make suitable recommendations. The work was coordinated by the then Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion – DIPP ( now “Department for Promotion of  Industries and Internal Trade” – DPIIT) and the recommendations were submitted to the Cabinet in 1996. Key recommendations included “the need for establishing an organization jointly by the Government and the industry” and “the need for the organization to be self-sustaining and be away from the government”.

Accepting the recommendations, the Cabinet Committee decided to set up Quality Council of India as a non-profit autonomous society registered under Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 to establish an accreditation structure in the country and spread the quality movement in India by undertaking a National Quality Campaign.