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Bureau Of Indian Standards
In a vast country like India it is often difficult to ensure proper quality standards of the products and services across the country. The size and diversity of the country make it all the more difficult to apply uniform standards in anything. But at the same time such standards are desirable to ensure that everyone is getting value for their money when they are purchasing product or service. That is why a regulatory body is required to ensure uniform standards everywhere. The process of standardization is necessary not only to ensure regulations in the market but to ensure safety of the consumers. However, lack of certification by BIS does not automatically mean lack of quality. For example a rurally produced product sold in the local market may be bought on trust by the people and it should live up to the trust as well. But for industrially produced goods it is necessary to maintain formal standards.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is body responsible for maintaining standards in India. It works under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs of the Government of India. It came into existence in 1986 through the Bureau of Indian Standards Act. Before that the organization was known as the Indian Standards Institution (ISI) which was established in 1946. In fact even now it is referred as the ISI by many as the ISI seal mark that was used to certify various products was very familiar among the people. The ISI originally had 25 members representing thegovernments, industry, scientific institutions as well as consumer organizations. The representation is still maintained and the organization is headquartered in New Delhi. There are several regional branches to and it also works as the point of interaction with the international bodies regarding various standards.
Main Functions of BIS
The main functions of the Bureau of Indian Standards areto decide or formulate Indian standards and also promote the same so that the concerned parties abide by the same. Over the years, it has formulated thousands of standards and they are in force across the country. These cover various aspects of the economy and help them maintain quality standards of the products or services.There are 14 different sectors in Indian economy identified by BIS. Maintaining standards is an on-going job and BIS evaluates, formulates and renews the standards in regular intervals to keep pace with international standards.
In order to assist its certification activities, BIS has built 8 laboratories across the nation. These laboratories are used for testing the standards in various disciplines such as chemical products, electrical equipment, food items and mechanical gadgets. Every year it tests thousands of samples and certifies them accordingly. Sometimes the laboratories even get overloaded with tests and in such cases it seeks helps from external laboratories too. Here, it has to be noted that the product certifications should be obtained voluntarily by the respective producers. But for some essential services it has been made mandatory. Such products include various edible items because they have direct implications on the safety and health of the consumers.Also anything manufactured on the foreign soils are supposed get the BIS certification to enter the Indian market.
The BIS or the ISI mark is the hallmark of quality in India. It also runs a promotional campaign through national media to inform people and create awareness regarding these issues. Due to this reason, the BIS mark has become very familiar among people and is considered the symbol of utmost quality.