India gets 'authorizing nation' status for IT products

India has been granted status as 'authorizing nation' under the international Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement (CCRA) to test and certify electronics and IT products with respect to cyber security.

India has become the 17th nation to earn such recognition among the 26-member CCRA countries like the US, Britain, Germany, South Korea, France, Japan, Canada, Australia, Turkey and Malaysia, the Communications and Information Technology Ministry said Thursday.

The status of 'authorizing nation' will enable India to test IT and electronics products and issue certificates, which will be acceptable internationally. The recognition would also enable investment in setting up infrastructure and labs in public and private sectors in India for testing Electronics and IT products.

So far India was having the status of 'consuming nation' with respect to certification of electronics and IT products.

For the last five-six years, Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has been operating the Common Criteria Certification (CC Certification) scheme.

Under it, STQC undertakes certification of electronics and IT products after evaluation of the products at its lab in Kolkata. The certificates issued by STQC Directorate shall now be acceptable internationally by all CCRA member countries.