World Standards Day is a globally recognized event celebrated annually on the 14th of October. The celebration serves as recognition for the work contributed by thousands of experts around the world in the creation of voluntary technical agreements, which ultimately become International Standards. This significant day has been observed officially since 1970.
A Glance at World Standards Day
World Standards Day holds a different theme each year, with the theme for 2019 being ‘Video Standards Create a Global Stage.’ This theme emphasized the importance of standardizing video compression technologies given the forecast that mobile phones and other electronic devices related to video production will account for an estimated 80% of all internet traffic by 2020.
India’s Role in Celebrating World Standards Day
In India, the celebration of World Standards Day is led by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The bureau also emphasizes the road map for achieving ‘One Nation One Standard’ for India. This vision aims to harmonize various standards being followed in different organizations in India to ensure quality and reduce confusion among the consumers.
Bureau of Indian Standards – The National Standard Body of India
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standard Body of India, is entrusted with the task of promoting and nurturing standards and ensuring their effective implementation. BIS plays a crucial role in India’s development by providing safe, reliable quality goods, minimizing health hazards to consumers, promoting exports and imports substitute, and controlling proliferation of varieties through standardization, certification, and testing.
| Key Contributions by the Bureau of Indian Standards |
|---|
| Providing safe and reliable quality goods |
| Minimizing health hazards to consumers |
| Promoting exports and imports substitute |
| Control over the proliferation of varieties through standardization, certification, and testing |
‘One Nation One Standard’ – The Indian Vision
BIS also focuses on a significant initiative, ‘One Nation One Standard.’ This plan is designed to ensure the development of effective standards for various sectors in India and their proper implementation. This would not only enhance the quality and performance of goods and services but also substantially contribute towards achieving the vision of a ‘New India’.
