Cabinet approves new bill to replace BIS Act: The government today approved a new bill to replace the 29 year-old Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act with an aim to bring in more products under the mandatory standard regime and end the ‘inspector raj’. New BIS Bill envisages mandatory certification regime to protect health, safety, environment etc.,” Press Information Bureau Director General Frank Noronha tweeted.

Highlights:

• To ensure quality products to consumers, the new bill proposes to bring in more items under the mandatory system. Currently, 92 items are under mandatory standards.
• At present, only products and systems come under the ambit of standards, the bill proposes to “include services, besides articles and processes under the standardisation regime,” the statement said.
• The mandatory certification will help consumers receive ISI certified products and will also help in prevention of import of sub-standard products.
• The bill also provides for compulsory hallmarking of precious metal articles, widening the scope of conformity assessment, to enhance penalties, to make offences compoundable and to simplify certain provisions in the Act.
• To improve “ease of doing business”, the bill proposes to allow multiple types of simplified conformity assessment schemes including self-certification and market surveillance instead of inspectors visiting factories, thereby ending the inspector raj on standards.
• The new bill also envisages setting up of the Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India, which will perform its functions through a governing council consisting of a President and other members.