Chandigarh, Aug. 31 -- The Punjab government has joined hands with the National Test House to bring world-class testing and certification facilities right to the doorstep of its industrial hubs, a move set to slash compliance costs, cut turnaround time, and give a decisive edge to MSMEs and exporters, said Aman Arora, minister for industries and commerce, Punjab. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Punjab department of industries and commerce and National Test House (NTH) was exchanged on the sidelines of its 115th Foundation Day celebrations in Bengaluru. The exchange took place between Punjab industries and commerce director Jaspreet Singh and NTH director general Dr Alok Kumar Srivastava. As part of the agreement, a state-of-the-art NTH laboratory will be established at the Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology (NIIFT), Jalandhar, strategically located to serve the industrial hubs of Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar. The facility will cater to sports goods, textiles, leather, hand tools, auto components and food processing sectors, said Arora. "For Punjab's MSMEs and exporters, quality is the passport to global markets. By bringing advanced testing capabilities closer to our industrial clusters, we will help local enterprises enhance product quality, reduce compliance costs and compete with greater confidence globally," he added. htc...