Bureau of Indian Standards celebrated the 74th foundation day on 6th January
2021.
• The Government has recently brought “Toys” and “Helmets” under mandatory BIS
certification.
Analysis
• The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working
under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
• The organisation was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) which came into
being on the 06 January 1947 and in June 1947 Dr. Lal C. Verman took over as its first
Director.
• In the mid-1980s, it was felt necessary to confer a statutory status to ISI’s functioning
which led to the enactment of the BIS Act 1986 and the ISI was renamed as the Bureau ofIndian Standards (BIS) to promote quality certification of goods, with a clearly defined
statutory powers.
o The Act has now been revised as BIS Act, 2016 and establishes BIS as the National
Standards Body.
• The Bureau is a Body Corporate consisting of 25 members representing both Central and
State governments, Members of Parliament, industry, scientific and research institutions,
consumer organizations and professional bodies; with Union Minister of Consumer
Affairs, Food and Public Distribution as its President and with Minister of State for
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution as its Vice-President.
• The BIS Act 2016, Rules and Regulations framed there under authorizes BIS to
undertake conformity assessment of products, services, systems and processes.
• The Product Certification Schemes of BIS aims at providing Third Party assurance of
quality, safety and reliability of products to the customer.
• BIS has been providing traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy in a
number of ways – providing safe reliable quality goods; minimizing health hazards to
consumers; promoting exports and imports substitute; control over proliferation of
varieties etc. through standardization, certification and testing.
• Keeping in view, the interest of consumers as well as the industry, BIS is involved
in various activities as given below:
o Standards Formulation
o Product Certification Scheme
o Compulsory Registration Scheme
o Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme
o Hall Marking Scheme
o Laboratory Services
o Laboratory Recognition Scheme
o Sale of Indian Standards etc.
What is the ISI mark all about?
• ISI stands for the Indian Standards Institute, a body set up when India gained
Independence to create standards needed for orderly commercial growth and
maintaining quality in industrial production.• By the mid-80s the country’s socio-economic climate had changed, triggering the need to
set up a stronger body, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which then took over ISI.
• But the term “ISI mark" continues to be used to mean that a certain product conforms to
the quality standards set up by the government.
Who can use the ISI mark?
• This certification programme is basically voluntary. Any manufacturer who feels
confident enough that his product has the ability to meet the BIS standard can apply for
product certification.
• Although, the scheme itself is voluntary in nature, the Government of India, on
considerations of public health and safety, security, infrastructure requirements and
mass consumption has enforced compulsory certification on various products through
Orders issued from time to time under various Acts.
• In order to ensure enhanced consumer safety & compliance to statutory provisions,
some products like gas cylinders, regulators and valves, BIS certification scheme
requires each lot or batch to be inspected by BIS certification officers before release of
the product.
Are there standards for all products?
• There are at least 16 broad categories, including textiles, packaged water, food,
automobile components, plastic products and electronics, for which BIS has laid down
standards.
• If anyone wants to add a new category to the current list, they can apply for it.
• For example, there is a standard for windshield wipers of four-wheelers, for the quality
of silver foil used in sweets, for precast concrete slabs used in pavements and even for
hooks and fasteners.
What if standards slip once the certification is obtained?
• BIS has to check conformity to the standards by regular surveillance of the licensee’s
performance including surprise inspection and testing of samples, drawn both from the
factory and the market.
• For launching prosecution regarding the misuse of ISI mark, testing of the sample of the
product is not required.
Eco Mark Scheme
• Eco-mark is a voluntary labelling scheme for easily identifying environment friendly
products.
• The Eco-mark scheme defines as an environmentally friendly product, any product
which is made, used or disposed of in a way that significantly reduces the harm it would
otherwise cause the environment.
• The definition factors in all aspects of the supply chain, taking a cradle-to-grave
approach, which includes raw material extraction, manufacturing and disposal.
• What sets eco-mark apart from other labels is that not only does the product have to
meet strict environmental requirements, but it also has to meet strict quality
requirements.
• The scheme is one of India’s earliest efforts in environmental standards, launched in
1991, even before the 1992 Rio Summit in which India participated.
• The scheme was launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and is
administered by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which also administers the IndianStandards Institute (ISI) mark quality label, a requirement for any product to gain the
Eco-mark label.
• The Eco-mark Scheme covers various product categories like Soaps and Detergents,
Paints, Food Items, lubricating oils, Packaging materials/Package, Architectural Paints
and Powder Coatings, Batteries, Electrical and electronic goods, Food Additives, Wood
Substitutes, Cosmetics, Aerosols and Propellants, Plastic Products, Textiles, Fireextinguisher,
Leather and Coir & Coir Products.
• Products certified as eligible for the Eco Mark shall also carry the ISI Mark (except for
leather) for quality, safety and performance of the product and shall be licensed to carry
the ECO Mark for a prescribed time period after which it shall be reassessed.