Last updated: December 17th, 2019 5:09 PM

IndiaFilings Review of Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015

The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 was introduced in Lok Sabha by Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of Consumer Affairs on August 7, 2015.  The Bill would replace the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 and establish a Bureau for the purpose of standardization, marking and certification of articles and processes.  In this article, we review the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 in detail. Know about BIS Certification.

Applicability

The applicability of Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 would be include goods, services and systems. Under the 1986 Act, only articles and processes are covered.

Bureau of Indian Standards

The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 has proposed the creation of Bureau of Indian Standards, a national body which will formulate, implement and certify certain standards of quality for goods, services, articles, processes and systems.  The Bureau will constitute technical committees of experts for the purpose of formulating such standards.

Bureau of Indian Standards Certificate

The Bureau of Indian Standards would be a licensing authority for quality standards. Goods, services, articles, processes and systems that conform to the standards set by the Bureau can apply for license to use a standard mark, or a certificate of conformity. A Bureau of Indian Standards Certificate or license indicates that the item conforms to the Indian standard as set by the Bureau.  The Bureau will establish and maintain testing laboratories for quality assurance and conformity assessment of goods, articles, services, etc. Further, the central government can notify certain goods, articles, etc, which will need to compulsorily carry a standard mark.  Such goods or articles will be notified by the government if it thinks them to be necessary for: (i) public interest or for the protection of human, animal or plant health, (ii) safety of the environment, (iii) prevention of unfair trade practices, or (iv) national security.

Power to Recall Goods

The Bill also provides the Bureau with powers to recall a good or article which is already out for sale or supply.  This will be done if the Bureau is convinced that the good or article does not conform to the requirement of a particular standard.