India's BIS: Paving the Way for Global Standardization Leadership

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, chaired the ninth Governing Council meeting of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in New Delhi. As the ex-officio President, Joshi declared that 371 districts are now under mandatory jewellery hallmarking, ensuring consumer quality assurance. He called for further district inclusions in the coming year, urging industry awareness of BIS initiatives.

Highlighting the creation of 23,798 Indian standards, Joshi appreciated BIS's role in expanding Quality Control Orders from 14 in 2014 to 191 today. Covering 774 products and two horizontal QCOs, these efforts contribute to consumer safety. He advocated for BIS to be a facilitator, promoting voluntary adoption of its mark and engaging with MSMEs for compliance readiness.

The Minister approved Rs 78 crore to enhance testing capacity in sectors like aerospace and solar PV modules, asserting the need to match testing infrastructure with an emerging economy's demands. Joshi emphasized the significance of India's 2025-26 standardization plans and BIS's zero-tolerance policy against malpractices in bolstering India's global standardization ambitions.

(With inputs from agencies.)