Lok Sabha Question No. 5680 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-06
Subject: Guidelines for Import of Toys
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Hibi Eden

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5680 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06 th  APRIL, 2022

## GUIDELINES FOR IMPORT OF TOYS

## 5680.  SHRI HIBI EDEN:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE & INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री ) be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the new norms/ guidelines for import of toys by the toy-makers;
- (b) whether the Government has given a timeline for the adoption of the said guidelines and if so, the details thereof along with the measures taken to promote toymakers in the country;
- (c) the details of the new norms/ guidelines for selling toys by the shops;
- (d) whether the Kochi branch of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has been time and again issuing circulars and notices in the newspapers urging the merchants to only sell toys with ISI mark; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof along with the number of cases that have been filed against the offenders?

## ANSWER

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## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

- (a) & (b): To control import of cheap and sub-standard toys, Directorate General of Foreign Trade  (DGFT),  vide  Notification  No.33/2015-2020  02.12.2019,  has  mandated  sample testing  from  each  consignment  and  no  permission  for  sale  unless  the  quality  testing  is successful. In case of failure, the consignment is either sent back or destroyed at the cost of the importer.

The Department of Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT) has also issued Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 on 25/02/2020 through which toys have been brought under  compulsory  Bureau  of  Indian  Standards  (BIS)  certification  with  effect  from 01/01/2021.  As  per  the  Quality  Control  Order  (QCO),  every  toy  shall  conform  to  the requirements of relevant Indian Standard and bear the Standard Mark under a licence from BIS as per Scheme-I of BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. This QCO is equally applicable to domestic manufacturers as well as foreign manufacturers who intend to export their toys to India.

As per  this  QCO,  read  with  Section  17  of  the  BIS  Act,  2016:  No  person  shall manufacture, import, distribute, sell, hire, lease, store or exhibit for sale any toys without the ISI mark.  The BIS has been regularly engaging with the domestic toy industry through webinars and interactions to facilitate the industry in obtaining BIS certification for toy safety. As on 30.03.2022, the BIS has granted 673 licences to domestic toy manufacturing units and 03 licences to foreign manufacturing units.

- (c) :  Sellers,  including  retailers,  are  responsible  for  ensuring  that  only  toys  carrying  the Standard Mark are purchased from toy manufacturers holding valid BIS licence, and sold.
- (d) to (e): Kochi Branch of BIS has not issued notices in newspapers for selling of toys without BIS certification mark. However, they have issued advertisements in major newspapers in Kerala in December 2021 regarding facility to find out details of products under mandatory BIS certification through BIS Care Mobile App. Apart from that, Kochi Branch of BIS also issued  circulars  to  major  malls  and  toy  stores  in  Kerala  for  selling  Toys  with  BIS certification and awareness programmes conducted among general public in Ernakulam about mandatory BIS certification on toys. A search and seizure was also conducted against one offender selling toys without BIS certification.

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