The Indian Paint Association (IPA) was founded by amalgamating the Indian Paint Manufacturers Association and the Paint Federation, on 1st July, 1960. It is a national body which represents both the Organized Sector and the Small Scale Sector in the paint industry and is a voluntary non-political and non-profit organization which promotes the interests of the paint industry and the society. In its formative years the IPA devoted considerable time and effort to examine the problems of fiscal issues, DGS & D and so on, so asto redress the difficulties arising out of Government's regulatory and control measures. The first important assignment undertaken by the IPA was to organize an All India Conference of Paint Manufacturers to discuss the various problems that arose. With this, the IPA took upon itself the onus of steering the course of the paint industry. With the new perspective of a liberalized economy, the IPA is now changing its focus to a more promotive role from the erstwhile protective role.