Standards making and Implementation
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body has the responsibility to lead and co-ordinate the standardization activities in the country to meet the emerging standardization needs and expectations of Indian industry, government and consumers.
As India positions itself among the top economies of the world, it is also important for BIS to ensure that India is able to influence and play a leading role in international standardization fora. It is with this expectation that a meeting was convened to review the process of standards formulation and their implementation in various sectors. The industry was represented through industry associations such as CII and FICCI.
The process of standards formulation was deliberated upon and the idea of ‘One Nation One Standard’ was debated. It was felt that Bureau of Indian Standards should serve as the umbrella organization, acting as a point of convergence to the standardization activity in the country.
The Hon’ble Minister exhorted the Standards Developing Organizations, various ministries and stakeholders to work in a synchronized manner with BIS, Speaking on the occasion, the Honorable Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan said that the most important stakeholders of the quality ecosystem are the consumers and the industry.
He said that as the festival season including Diwali is approaching, we need to ensure that poor people don’t get cheated while buying gold and only Hallmarked jewelry should be made available in the market. Briefing the media on making Hallmarking mandatory, he mentioned that the issue was under process.
The minister emphasized on the need to have in place a standards framework which provides direction and required awareness that ensures our citizens get the best quality products, whether manufactured domestically, or imported from foreign countries. He asked for bringing co-ordination and cohesion between relevant ministries to enhance and advance the monitoring process of standardized products.
It was pointed out that there was a need to increase the number of products under mandatory BIS certification so as to curb the import of sub-standard products in the country. The Honorable minister also emphasized on the need for more involvement of certified products under the mandatory regime. The Hon’ble Minister expressed his hope to receive valuable inputs through consultations and provide a focused direction to the standardization activity at the national level.
