Centre rolls out mandatory quality norms for smart meters, welding rods

The government said it has issued mandatory quality norms for smart meters and welding rods to curb the import of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing of these products

The government on Tuesday said it has issued mandatory quality norms for smart meters and welding rods to curb the import of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing of these products.

A notification in this regard was issued by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on July 14.

These items cannot be produced, sold/traded, imported and stocked unless they bear the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark, the notification stated.

Now, manufacturing, storing and sale of non-BIS certified products are prohibited as per the BIS Act, 2016.

Violation of the provision of the BIS Act can attract imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for the first offence.

In case of second and subsequent offences, the fine will increase to a minimum of Rs 5 lakh and extend up to 10 times the value of goods or articles.

"These recently notified two new QCOs for smart meters and welding rods and electrodes will come into force from six months from the date of notification," an official statement said.

The department is focusing on establishing a quality control regime for its key products such as insulated flasks, potable water-bottles, flame-lighters, smart meters, and wielding rods.

QCO is a mandatory certification scheme, whereby compliance to specified list of Indian standards applicable to the concerned product is made compulsory by the central government under various considerations including public interest, protection of human, animal or plant health, safety of environment, prevention of unfair trade practices and national security.

"DPIIT in continuous consultation with BIS and stakeholders has been identifying key products for requiring implementation of QCO. This has led to the initiation of development of 64 new QCOs covering 317 product standards," it said.

Smart meter is an electronic device that records information such as consumption of electric energy, voltage levels, current and power factor.

It communicates the information to the consumer for greater clarity of consumption behaviour and electricity suppliers for system monitoring and customer billing.

Further, it said that to safeguard the domestic small/micro industries and ensure smooth implementation of the order, relaxations have been granted to small/micro industries in terms of timelines.

"The implementation of the QCOs for these products is crucial not only for safety of the consumers, but it will also improve the manufacturing quality standards in the country and curb the imports of sub-standard products into India," the DPIIT said.