The BIS Act 2016 lays down the framework for Standards development and delivery in India. The products, process, the service, delivered in the country, should be of high quality and meet the expectation of both consumers and producers. This was stated by Director General, BIS, Ms. Surina Rajan, while addressing the inaugural session of 12th Regional Standards Conclave in Odisha last week. It was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, Government of India, the MSME Department of the Government of Odisha, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), National Accreditation Board of Certification Bodies (NABCB), the Export Inspection Council (EIC), and Centre for Research in International Trade (CRIT).

Ms. Surina Rajan, said that as the national standards body, BIS, is committed to delivering quality assurance and standards’ solutions not just for exports but also the consumers within the country. What is imported into the country should also be safe for Indian consumers. She said that standardization is a movement, it should not be stuck in islands of quality. For standards, sustainability and smart services are the next dimension which BIS is trying to map out for future standardization and conformity assessment, DG, BIS added.

Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, Sudhanshu Pandey said that global trade in goods is valued at USD18 trillion and Services trade is worth USD5 trillion. At present India is a USD 2.6 trillion economy. To increase its share, India must vigorously follow standards. The new Consumer Act allows for product recall. It is a welcome move. Product liability law which puts greater responsibility on manufacturers now needs to be enforced. Each stakeholder has different interests, standards allow these interests to communicate and combine.

Santosh Sarangi, Chairperson EIC and Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, observed that in the changing scenario of world trade, quality infrastructure should be a thrust area. Consumers have been demanding more and more information at their disposal. Today, no one can ignore the issues of human health and safety and hence, following standards is very important.

Minister of SSPED, Women &Child Development, and MSME Government of Odisha, Prafulla Samal, in his address said that MSMEs need to maintain Standards and should not suffer due to issues relating to conformity assessment and standards compliance, if they have to compete globally.

Additional Chief Secretary, MSME Department, Government of Odisha, Mr. L.N. Gupta, said that Quality and Standards are very important for businesses. Out of Quality and Standards would result an enterprise to be out of business. MSMEs need to adopt standards. We have almost 3.7 lakhs MSME’s, 300 exporters and 356 startups, who need to be made aware of following the right standards to boost their turnover and profits.

Chairman NABCB, Shyamsundar Bang said that industry in India is steadily growing. Consumer expectation of quality has increased, as has global integration of markets, which has also improved the compliance attitude in Indian industry increase. It is important to demonstrate compliance to standards in internationally accepted ways. We must start third party certification and create a robust infrastructure for conformity assessment.

Standards compliance: strengthened product recall and product liability obligations raise manufacturer responsibilities and require robust conformity assessment. The BIS Act 2016 establishes the framework for standards development and delivery to ensure products, processes and services meet quality expectations; BIS must provide quality assurance for domestic goods and imports, while the new consumer protection regime enabling product recall and strengthened product liability increases manufacturers' obligations. Emphasis is placed on quality infrastructure, internationally accepted demonstration of compliance, robust conformity assessment and greater adoption of third party certification, with targeted support for MSMEs to meet standards and compete globally.