Bureau of Indian Standards

Introduction

The Bureau of Indian standardisation was constituted in the year 1986 after the coming of BIS act. The foremost objective of the bureau is to standardize the certification process of goods and set minimum level of standards which a manufacturer need to maintain so that the level of quality of goods produced in India are high and in accordance with International standards . A new bureau was established in the year 2017 after the coming of Indian Standards Act, 2016. The new act reinforces the activities of the bureau for standardising and certifying articles, processes, services and goods. The bureau is tasked with formulating standards which manufacturers and service providers need to follow. Formulating standards is one the core activity of the bureau.

The standards are formulated by specialists who are part of the technical committee, who work under 14 different divisional councils. As a policy, the standards and policies formed by BIS are in conformity with the various international organisations like WTO, International organisation for standardisation etc. The bureau has formulated more than 19500 standards which are periodically reviewed. The headquarters of Bureau of Indian standards is located at Delhi.

Functions of BIS –

• Formulating standards which have to be adhered by industries and manufacturers.
• Providing certification to products after testing them.
• Formulating Schemes for domestic and foreign manufacturers.
• Hall mark schemes for jewellers.
• Laboratory services
• Sale of Indian standards
• Proving information to consumers and general public and also establish complaint redressal mechanism.
• Training service to officials and other employees both at domestic level and international level.

Types of schemes to obtain certificate –

1. Normal procedure for domestic manufacturers of products –

This is the normal procedure to obtain certificate under this scheme manufacturer has to submit relevant documents and fee. Once application is submitted an official visit the site and checks all the mandatory requirements. Samples will be collected by the official which will be tested either in the factory or in third party lab. This process takes usually four months.

2. Simplified procedure –

This option is simpler than the above mentioned procedure, in this procedure first sample is sent to the laboratory by the manufacturer, then relevant documents and test report from the lab is submitted. After this an official visits the manufacturing premises to check other parameters which have to complied with. This process usually takes 30 to 45 days.

3. Tatkal scheme –

In this process the application is processed on priority basis with depositing extra fee. This process is for manufacturers who produce products which need compulsory certificate. Certificate is granted within 30 days provided all documents and lab test reports are proper and complete.

4. ECO mark scheme –

If a manufacturer is manufacturing eco-friendly products then product can obtain eco mark for its product. There are some additional information which need to be complied and provided to obtain eco mark.

5. Foreign manufacturers certification scheme (FMCS) –

FMCS licence is granted to foreign based manufacturers, they can use the standard mark if their product conforms to Indian standards set by BIS. The scheme is applicable to all products except electronic and IT goods. The licence is granted at the headquarters located at Delhi. An Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) has to be nominated by the foreign manufacturer and who shall be an Indian resident and he shall be responsible for compliance under various acts and rules of BIS.

6. Hallmarking scheme –

Hallmarking scheme is scheme for jewellers. Hallmarks are official marks used in many countries guaranteeing the fineness of the metal and its purity. It is the official and accurate determination of contents of the metal. The objective is to protect consumers against adulteration and obligate jewellers to maintain standards of fineness. In India Gold and Silver are presently under this scheme. The scheme is aligned with the international standards. Jewellers who are BIS certified can get their jeweller certified from any BIS hallmarking centres.

What are guidelines for grant of licence by BIS certificate?

• The guidelines mentioned have to be read along with the BIS act, BIS rules 2018 and BIS conformity regulations.
• The general principles which the bureau checks while granting the licence are –

  •Manufacturing infrastructure in place

  •Production process followed

  •Quality control measures followed by the manufacturer

  •Testing capabilities of manufacturer

• The bureau confirms the standards of the product by testing the product through a third party laboratory or by testing the product in the manufacturing premises.
• There are two options available to the applicant to apply for grant of licence which are

Option one –

• The applicant may apply to the bureau along with the relevant documents to be annexed.
• Once documents are submitted a visit will be made by an official who will assess the manufacturing infrastructure, production process to be followed, quality control measures and testing capabilities and a sample will be taken which will be tested in a third party laboratory.
• If the manufacturing industry falls in Annexure -1 category then samples may not be drawn and factory testing will be done.
• In case of a new product which is not in Annexure-1, then also factory testing will done for such new product.

Option two -

• For option two - the applicant shall submit the relevant documents, sample product report of raw material tested from a third party lab.
• An official will make a visit to the factory and check manufacturing infrastructure, quality control measures and production process.
• If the applicant wants to exercise option-2 then the applicant first has to register on the IT software where a unique code will be generated. The code will be submitted to the third party testing lab along with the samples. A receipt will be given by the laboratory which has to be uploaded on the IT software. 
• A latest test report has to be submitted and the test report shall not be before 90 days from the date of submission.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit complete test report and documents which conform to the Indian standards.
• An undertaking also hast to be given stating that the manufacturer conforms to the standards set by BIS.

Renewal of licences procedure –

Licence may be renewed for a period of one to five years on the request of the licence holder. The licence holder has to deposit fee according to the number of years the licence holder wants to renew the licence. The application can be made on the web portal of bureau. The application shall be made two months before the expiry of the product licence. The licence shall stand expired 90 days from the date of its validity.

Products which have to be compulsorily registered under BIS scheme –

The government has tasked BIS to register certain products compulsorily. The manufacture before it starts production has to first obtain certificate only then it can start production for these products listed below. The government has made compulsory in the interest of consumer, so that health, safety and security of the consumer can be maintained and consumers are immune from deceptive practice of some manufacturers. The following products have to be registered compulsory –

• Batteries 
• Electrical goods and appliances
• Cement
• Automobile parts
• Food and related products 
• Oil pressure stove
• Regulators, cylinder and valve
• Medical equipments
• Steel and stainless products
• Capacitors
• Chemical and fertilisers
• Electrical transformers
• Electrical motors

Manufacturing under multiple brands –

If a manufacturer is manufacturing different brands then it is compulsory to register different brands. However there is an option that if the product is same and the manufacturing location is also same then same test report can be submitted. All brands have to be mentioned separately with their respective model numbers along with the test report.

Laboratory services provided by BIS –

To protect the interest of consumers and to support the scheme of testing samples while granting licence or renewing it, BIS operates eight laboratories. BIS apart from these eight laboratories takes help of other laboratories also both within India and outside as it is not possible for BIS to check and test each and every product. A manufacturer who wants to get his sample tested can send his product to one of these eight laboratories or can send it to a laboratory recognised and authorised by the BIS to test a specific product. A list of recognised laboratories can be obtained from the web portal of BIS.