Under the guidance of Sh. Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food, Public Distribution and Textiles, and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) have taken significant steps towards enhancing the quality and safety of products in India. Sh. Piyush Goyal chaired a review meeting of BIS activities which was attended by the Secretary, DoCA, DG, BIS, and officials of DoCA, Govt of India, and BIS. In the meeting at Manak Bhawan, New Delhi on 03rd March 2023, he directed BIS to undertake the following actions:
o BIS shall augment the testing infrastructure in the country.
o It would increase the frequency of product testing and Market Surveillance depending on the criticality of components used for consumer safety. BIS should also increase the frequency of lab inspections.
o BIS shall enhance Market Surveillance for different products such as Pressure cookers, Helmets, and other consumer products to ensure product safety and to bring quality consciousness to the country.
o BIS shall map standards against various government schemes and produce booklets in simple and local languages to enhance accessibility and develop a culture of quality consciousness among citizens.
o BIS has proposed Quality Control Orders (QCO) for 663 products in the coming time. Currently, there are 462 products covered under QCOs.
o BIS shall involve college students/NCC Cadets/Scouts in their efforts to develop quality consciousness and culture in the country.
In an effort to promote quality culture in micro-scale units, BIS is providing an 80% concession on the certification/minimum marking fee across various product certification schemes of BIS. Additionally, units located in the North-East will continue to receive an extra 10% concession.
Also, starting from 1st April 2023, the sale of only gold jewelry with HUID shall be permitted.
Sh. Goyal stated, “We are committed to ensuring that all products in India meet the highest quality and safety standards. These measures shall promote micro-scale units, enhance the testing infrastructure, and develop a culture of quality consciousness among citizens.”
**PIB India**