Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal on Monday directed Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to reduce testing fees for MSMEs, start-ups and women entrepreneurs to encourage them to get their products certified and will ensure ease of doing business.
Speaking at the third Governing Council of BIS, he said that India needs to undergo a shift in its approach and ensure the best quality of products which meet global benchmarks are made in India.
He also said that BIS should map the upcoming industrial zones of the country and ensure that lab testing infrastructure is available. The Minister also directed BIS to undertake GAP analysis and modernise testing labs.
“BIS needs to set up its testing labs all across the country in a manner so that entrepreneurs don’t have to travel far to get the testing and certification of standards,” Goyal said while chairing the governing council meeting.
‘Set global benchmarks’
Emphasizing that the focus should be on ‘One Nation One Standard’, he said that Indian standards should be set as per global benchmarks. The Ministry has also asked BIS to create a Customer Charter to usher in highest transparency in its certification process and inspections.
Goyal said that products manufactured in India should be of international standards whether it is manufactured for local market or for international market.
“BIS must ensure that its Technical Committees develops required new standards in the quickest possible time for products where presently none exists, or review and revise existing standards whenever required,” he added.
In recent times, BIS has formulated various Indian Standards comparable with the International Standards such as the Electric vehicles, Fuel blends, Smart City Digital Infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT), Smart Manufacturing, Technical Textiles, Aerial Ropeways, etc.
BIS is operating more than 37,000 product certification licenses across India. 55 new products have been covered for the first time under the Product Certification Scheme, since April 2020.