Kochi | Footwear manufacturers and allied industries from 13 states held a protest, dissenting against the Central government's imposition of BIS quality certification on all kinds of footwear.

The nationwide protest was organised by the All India MSME Footwear Council on Wednesday.

The state-level protest was held at Modern Industrial Estate in Kozhikode, a statement said here on Thursday.

As many as 400 small-scale footwear units also took part in the protest across Kerala.

Industry leaders and MSME owners pointed out that the government's decision was neither practical nor scientific, it said.

"The standards are set without considering the manufacturing/production process, types of raw materials used, and categories of footwear products. This makes the implementation of BIS standards unrealistic," VKC Razak, National Chairman, All India MSME Footwear Council, said.

The protestors demanded a conclusive order from the government that relieves the MSME units from the ambit of mandatory BIS norms.

They also requested to exclude general-purpose sandals, slippers, school shoes, and fancy footwear from the mandatory rule due to their complex production process.

Thousands of people, including factory owners and employees participated in the 'Protest Day' observation in front of their respective factories in different states, the statement said.