Pralhad Joshi highlights the Shift in BIS from Regulation to Facilitation as the BIS Transforms India’s Quality Landscape

79^th BIS Foundation Day was celebrated with a launch and release of key initiatives in New Delhi today. The occasion was graced by Shri Prahlad Joshi, Hon’ble Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy, along with Shri B. L. Verma, Hon’ble Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Social Justice & Empowerment.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), India’s National Standards Body under the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, continues to strengthen the country’s quality and standards ecosystem through innovation, digital transformation, and inclusive outreach. With over 23,300 Indian Standards in force, BIS plays a pivotal role in ensuring safety, reliability, and global competitiveness of products and services across sectors.

Union Minister Highlights BIS’s Transformation and Global Role

Addressing the gathering, Shri Prahlad Joshi stated that BIS is continuously evolving in the field of standardisation by formulating and adopting internationally accepted best practices. He noted that Indian Standards today extend far beyond traditional sectors and now cover renewable energy, electric mobility, smart infrastructure, digital technologies, sustainability, green products, as well as emerging areas such as bomb disposal systems and electric agricultural tractors.

The Union Minister emphasised that over the last decade, under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, BIS has undergone a fundamental transformation moving from regulation to facilitation, and from compliance to a culture of quality. In line with the Government’s focus on ease of doing business, BIS has rationalised compliance procedures, provided fee relaxations for MSMEs and laboratories, made in-house laboratory requirements optional for large industries, and strengthened market surveillance to ensure quality of goods available to consumers.

To support MSMEs, BIS provides concessions in the Annual Minimum Marking Fee 80% for Micro, 50% for Small, and 20% for Medium Enterprises. The Minister also highlighted the launch of e-learning modules for capacity building of quality control personnel. Referring to hallmarking reforms, Shri Joshi stated that the Silver HUID Hallmarking Scheme, launched on 1 September 2025, marks a significant step towards consumer protection and transparency. Over 21 lakh silver articles have already been hallmarked under the new system. While silver hallmarking remains voluntary, HUID-based marking has been made mandatory from 1 September 2025.

The Union Minister also underscored the significance of the Beta launch of the BIS Standardization Portal, the Manak Se Mahila Shakti Campaign for women empowerment, and the launch of BIS–SAKSHAM, the Annual Excellence Recognition Scheme. He further cited BIS’s leadership in the international arena, including the recent hosting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) General Meeting, focused on consumer issues.

Highlighting the way forward, Shri Joshi called for continuous upgradation of BIS laboratories, faster standard-setting for national priority areas, and stronger Indian leadership in international standardisation. He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to transforming “Made in India” into “Trusted by India and Trusted by the World”, aligned with the vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas.

Several key schemes and initiatives have been launched on this occasion –

1. Beta Launch of BIS Standardisation Portal

Beta Version of the New BIS Standardization Portal, is a future-ready digital platform that integrates the entire standards development lifecycle into a single interface and streamlines the complete workflow — from proposal to publication — through specialized modules for Standards Formulation, Review, and Collaboration of Experts. By featuring advanced data-driven dashboards and role-based access, the portal ensures enhanced transparency, inclusivity, and speed for stakeholders of Standards Formulation.

2. Women Empowerment through sensitization of self-help groups on Indian Standards

“SHINE- Standards Help Inform & Nurture Empowered Women”—is a new scheme of BIS that places women, at the center of India’s quality journey. Through structured training, grassroots partnerships with NGOs and SHGs, and practical, locally delivered programmes, the scheme empowers women with knowledge that protects families and strengthens livelihoods.

This initiative envisions women not merely as consumers, but as change agents, spreading awareness about standards, safety, and quality within households, self-help groups, and communities.

3. BIS Education literature on Rashtriya e-Pustakalay

To promote awareness about standards, quality, safety, and counterfeit products among children, BIS has developed engaging comic books in both print and 2D animated formats, as part of BIS Educational Series. Through simple language and visual storytelling, this initiative aims to build quality consciousness from an early age.

These books are now available for Free Reading on the Rashtriya E Pustakalay platform, a flagship digital library initiative by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education. Curated specifically for Children and adolescents, this national digital library has over 3.17 lakh registered users.  This collaboration ensures that the "Science of Standards" becomes an accessible and integral part of every student’s learning journey

4. Signing of MoU with IIIT Dharwad, IIT Palakkad, NIT Arunachal Pradesh

BIS has entered into Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with many premier academic institutes of the country, to integrate Indian standards into academic curricula, expand pre standardisation R&D projects and transform Engineering students into Standards-Ready professional. To further expand reach to the academia, another 3 eminent institutes, IIIT Dharwad, IIT Palakkad, NIT Arunachal Pradesh have joined the initiative as MoU partner.

As MoU partner, BIS Students chapters’ initiative will also be expanded. Currently, over 21,000 young engineering students are enrolled across 400+ Students Chapters. BIS has worked closely with academia to integrate standardization concepts directly into the curriculum of 27 institutes and has established 17 Standardization Chairs.

BIS-SAKSHAM (Scheme for Acknowledging Knowledge, Skills and High-impact Merit) Annual Excellence Recognition Scheme a structured initiative to acknowledge knowledge, skills, and high-impact merit across the organization was also launched on this occasion.

Shri Amandeep Singh (DGM, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd.) has been conferred with the prestigious 1906 IEC Award for his exceptional contributions towards the development of IEC Working Group member from his experiences of Indian UHV transmission line engineering.

Consumer Trust, Communication and Academia Engagement

Shri Bharat Khera, Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, emphasised that BIS plays a critical role in the country’s quality architecture by building consumer confidence and supporting Atmanirbhar Bharat. He highlighted BIS’s digital transformation, particularly the online standards development module, which brings experts from diverse sectors onto a single platform, reducing timelines and enhancing transparency and participation. He addressed that standards are not merely regulatory tools but instruments to nurture a culture of quality that becomes instinctive. Emphasising consumer empowerment, he stressed the importance of communicating standards in simple, relatable terms, citing initiatives such as the BIS Care App.

BIS Achievements and Digital Transformation

In his address, Shri Sanjay Garg, Director General, BIS, stated that 2025 has been a landmark year for BIS. During the year, BIS developed over 600 new standards, taking the total to 23,293 standards, covering diverse fields such as AYUSH, robotics, artificial intelligence, ecology, and other emerging technologies.

He informed that product certification witnessed significant growth, with products under the Fast-Track Certification Scheme increasing from 758 to 1,288. In 2025 alone, approximately 9,700 new licences were granted most within 30 days raising the total number of product certification licences to over 51,500. For the first time, 124 new products were brought under mandatory BIS certification in 2025, increasing the total number of certified products to 1,437+, including notable additions such as currency note sorting machines (in collaboration with RBI and injection moulding machines for machinery safety in line with ISO standards.

Shri Garg highlighted that BIS has leveraged digitalisation through initiatives such as the Manak Online Portal, simplified licensing procedures, fast-track trial licences, cluster-based testing facilities, and strengthened testing infrastructure. As a result, 98% of licences under the simplified procedure and 85% under the normal procedure are granted within 30 days.

The Foundation Day event was attended by various stakeholders, including industry associations, officers from the Department of Consumer Affairs, academia, and others. Additional Secretary & the Finance Advisor to DOCA Shri Sanjiv Shankar, Shri H J S Pasricha, DDG (Certification), Lt Col (retd) Kumar Shantanu and were also present on this occasion