The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act established in 2016 recognizes BIS as the National Standards Body of India. The BIS Act aims to simplify conformity assessment schemes, including the self-declaration of conformity. The Act’s provisions empower the Central Government to appoint additional authorities or agencies alongside the BIS to verify the conformity of products and services with the established standard and issue a certificate of conformity.
Key Provisions of the BIS Act
The BIS Act includes provisions for mandatory hallmarking of precious metal articles. Furthermore, there is a provision for repair or recall of the products bearing the Standard Mark that do not conform to the relevant Indian Standard. This Act also identifies new areas for standardization, such as alternate fuels, E-mobility, medical devices, smart cities, digital technologies like Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, Block Chain, and new and renewable energy.
Effective Implementation of the BIS Act through Regulations
To ensure effective implementation of the BIS Act, 2016, initiatives such as the BIS (Hallmarking) Regulations, 2018 have been launched. Under these regulations, hallmarking of gold jewellery, gold artefacts, silver jewellery, and silver artefacts is compulsory. The BIS (Hallmarking) Regulations, 2018, have also made penal provisions stringent for better and effective compliance.
| New areas identified in standardization |
|---|
| Alternate fuels |
| E-mobility |
| Medical Devices |
| Smart Cities |
| Digital Technologies |
| New and Renewable energy |
Role of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) acts as the National Standard Body of India, responsible for the harmonious development of standardization, marking, and quality certification of goods. Through its efforts, BIS yields traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy in several ways.
Contributions of BIS to the National Economy
BIS plays a significant role in providing safe, reliable quality goods, thus minimizing health hazards to consumers. It also promotes exports and import substitutes while controlling the proliferation of varieties through standardization, certification, and testing.
