Bureau Of Indian Standards

The government has provided one more year till July 31, 2027 to micro and small enterprises from non-leather footwear sector to comply with the mandatory quality control order. The move would give smaller footwear manufacturers more time to obtain BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification. It has also allowed footwear manufacturers to import up to 4,500 pairs annually for research, design development, testing, and other non-commercial purposes without meeting QCO (quality control order) requirements. However, these imported footwear have to be marked as "NOT FOR SALE" and have to be disposed of as scrap. Amending the footwear made from all rubber and all polymeric material and its components (Quality Control) order, 2024, the Department For Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) order said in a provision, "for figures, letters and word '31st July, 2026', the figures, letters and word '31st July, 2027' shall be substituted". Commenting on the order, think tank GTRI s

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published a new voluntary management framework for community seed banks, aimed at protecting traditional crop varieties as climate change threatens the country's agricultural heritage. The standard, IS 20201:2026, lays out requirements covering the full lifecycle of seed bank operations 'from collection and viability testing to storage, documentation and regeneration practices' and is available free of charge on the BIS portal. The consumer affairs ministry said native seed varieties, many of which carry traits such as drought tolerance, disease resistance, and high nutritional value, represent a critical strategic resource for an agrarian economy grappling with erratic rainfall and rising temperatures. "By offering a standardised operating protocol for decentralised, community-led seed banks, IS 20201:2026 aims to promote conservation of these indigenous varieties," the ministry said in a statement. The certifiable standard was developed under

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has notified a dedicated standard for bomb disposal systems to address a critical gap in the country's security preparedness framework and provide manufacturers with clear performance benchmarks. The new standard, IS 19445:2025, was developed at the request of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory. It establishes comprehensive guidelines for evaluating bomb disposal systems against blast loads and splinter effects. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the standard is intended for "voluntary adoption" by procurement agencies, manufacturers, and testing bodies. "Its implementation is expected to bring uniformity in evaluation practices, promote quality-driven manufacturing, and enhance confidence in bomb disposal systems deployed in critical security operations," she said in a statement. The standard specifies requirements for test equipment, test range conditions, and evaluation procedures to ...

A 2016 amendment to the BIS Act broadened the government's authority to mandate compliance with compulsory standards

This makes compliance costly, reduces the number of suppliers, and risks creating a system even worse than the old licensing raj

Customers can absorb price hikes, he added

India's steel ministry has delayed BIS certification rules on steel imports by four months, offering relief to importers facing compliance hurdles and protecting in-transit shipments from disruption

Indian quality standards on toys are better than global benchmark, helping domestic manufacturers in exporting their products in overseas markets, according to a senior BIS official. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has developed and published Indian standards for toys that encompass physical, chemical, and electrical safety requirements. These standards are aligned with international benchmarks set by ISO and IEC, ensuring global harmonisation in toy safety practices. To enforce compliance, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) issued the Toys (Quality Control) Order), 2020, which came into effect on January 1, 2021. This order mandates that all toys sold in India, whether manufactured domestically or imported, must conform to seven specific Indian standards and bear the ISI mark under a valid BIS licence. It is prohibited to manufacture, import, store, distribute, sell, or even exhibit for sale any toy that does not comply with these ...

Medtech manufacturers' groups expect negotiations may lead to fairer outcomes for both sides

Earlier this week, officials conducted a search and seizure operation at the warehouse of Amazon Sellers Pvt Ltd, located in the Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area in Delhi

The government has issued mandatory quality norms for hinges to curb the import of sub-standard goods and boost domestic manufacturing of these goods, according to a notification. The Hinges (Quality Control) Order, 2025 was issued in this regard by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on March 21, this year. Under these orders, items cannot be produced, sold, traded, imported and stocked unless they bear the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark. The notification said this order would not apply on these goods manufactured domestically for exports; and up to 200 articles imported for the purpose of research and development by manufacturers of hinges per year with the condition that such items would not be sold commercially. "Any person who contravenes the provisions of this order shall be punishable under the provisions of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016," it said, adding the order will be implemented from July 1, 2025. Violation of the ...

BIS raids Amazon and Flipkart warehouses at multiple locations, seizing substandard toys, blenders, bottles, electric water heaters, and speakers, violating the BIS Act 2016

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has conducted raids on warehouses of major e-commerce platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart, seizing thousands of uncertified consumer products, the consumer affairs ministry said on Saturday. During a raid on March 7 at an Amazon warehouse in Lucknow, BIS officials seized 215 toys and 24 hand blenders that lacked the mandatory BIS certification, an official statement said. A similar operation at the e-commerce giant's Gurugram facility in February yielded 58 aluminium foils, 34 metallic water bottles, 25 toys, 20 hand blenders, 7 PVC cables, 2 food mixers and 1 speaker -- all without proper certification. At a Flipkart warehouse in Gurugram, operated by Instakart Services Pvt Ltd, authorities confiscated 534 stainless steel vacuum-insulated bottles, 134 toys and 41 speakers that failed to meet the required standards. BIS's investigations revealed that many of these non-certified products were linked to Techvision International Pvt ...

The government has expanded quality compliance requirements by mandating Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for over 150 products, ranging from household appliances to industrial materials, in a move aimed at ensuring stricter safety and performance standards. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) said it has listed out 150-odd products in advance for better awareness purpose. The scope of these mandatory standards is extended to various sectors with varied enforcement dates for different sectors. The BIS will oversee the implementation of these orders, and the list covers a diverse range of products including vacuum cleaners, stainless steel utensils, and massage appliances. For electrical appliances operating on 250V single-phase or 415V three-phase power, the compliance deadline is set for March 20. In the furniture industry, manufacturers must comply with quality norms for products such as block boards, plywood, and wooden flush doors. The steel sector faces regulations for items ..

The government's draft highlights new challenges in consumer protection and trust introduced by e-commerce

High nitrate levels have been found in groundwater of 440 districts across India, with 20 per cent of the samples collected exceeding the permissible nitrate concentration, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has said in a report. Nitrate contamination is a significant environmental and health concern, particularly in agricultural regions using nitrogen-based fertilizers and animal waste. The "Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2024" also revealed that 9.04 per cent of samples had fluoride levels above the safe limit, while 3.55 per cent showed arsenic contamination. A total of 15,259 monitoring locations were chosen nationwide to check groundwater quality in May 2023. Of these, 25 percent of wells (the most at risk per BIS 10500) were studied in detail. Groundwater was sampled at 4,982 trend stations before and after the monsoon to see how recharge affects quality. The report found that 20 per cent of water samples exceeded the nitrate limit of 45 milligrams per liter (mg/l), t

Steel is a case in point. The industry is naturally concerned about the impact of overcapacity in China, which might render Indian-made steel uncompetitive

The government has also introduced registration requirements such as steel import monitoring system (SIMS), paper import monitoring system (PIMS)

State eyes building raw material ecosystem to woo majors like Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance, and Reebok

Last month, the Central Consumer Protection Authority sent Ola Electric seeking an explanation after the consumer rights agency received an unusually high 10,000 complaints