Union Minister Launches BIS-Care App and e-BIS Portals

The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution recently launched the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) Mobile App ‘BIS-Care’ and three portals – the Standardization, Conformity Assessment, and Training Portals of e-BIS. These innovations were designed to empower consumers and ensure an effective and consistent quality control process for goods in India.

BIS-Care App

Operable on any Android phone and offering services in both Hindi and English languages, the BIS-Care App is a tool designed to promote consumer awareness and vigilance. Users can verify the authenticity of ISI-marked and hallmarked products and lodge complaints directly through the app, making it easier than ever to identify and eliminate sub-standard products from the market.

The Functionality of e-BIS

e-BIS is an integrated portal that encompasses all functions of BIS, including the enlistment of outside agencies for factory and market surveillance and the development of mobile app-based and AI-enabled surveillance methods. Certification and surveillance are crucial elements of BIS’s function, and their capacity for enforcement is being boosted by the implementation of e-BIS.

Steps Towards Standardization

BIS plays a pivotal role in the formulation of Quality Control Orders (QCO) to make standards mandatory. It collaborates with various ministries and departments to help them issue QCOs for different products, requiring both domestic and foreign manufacturers to comply once standards become mandatory.

Upcoming Innovations

The organization is also developing a Consumer Engagement portal, which will streamline the registration of Consumer Groups, submission of proposals, approvals, and complaint management. Furthermore, BIS is formulating a scheme for recognizing other Standard Development Organizations in the country to achieve ‘One Nation, One Standard’. The objective is to harmonize standard formulation across different sectors.

Applications and Achievements

BIS has made significant contributions to managing the Covid-19 pandemic by developing standards for Cover-all and Ventilators, issuing norms for granting licenses for N95 Masks, surgical masks, and eye protectors. Their efforts have led to an increase in the production of ISI-marked personal protection equipment.

Upgrades and Expansion

BIS continually enhances its services by modernizing labs and creating testing facilities for drinking water and gold jewellery assaying. They have drafted a comprehensive Training Policy and provide training to various stakeholders through the National Institute of Standardization based in Noida. There are ongoing efforts to integrate these standards into the curriculum of professional education in India.

The Road Ahead

In line with Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’s objectives, BIS is strengthening its endeavor to formulate standards crucial for boosting India’s exports and regulating the import of cheap and sub-standard products. By enhancing the quality of domestic goods and mitigating the influx of inferior foreign goods, BIS is fortifying the Indian consumer market and protecting consumer interests.