Lok Sabha Question No. 1615 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-30
Subject: BIS Certification and Quality Control Order (QCO) Implementation
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri G M Harish Balayogi, Shri Captain Brijesh Chowta

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1615 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2025

## BIS CERTIFICATION AND QUALITY CONTROL ORDER (QCO) IMPLEMENTATION

## 1615.   SHRI G M HARISH BALAYOGI:

SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of applications received, certifications granted and average processing time for Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certifications under various Quality Control Orders (QCOs) during the last three years, year-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has received representations from domestic or international stakeholders regarding procedural delays, insufficient testing infrastructure or lack of  alignment  with  global standards in the BIS certification process and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  such  delays  or  bottlenecks  have  adversely  impacted  the  import  of  critical  goods  or disrupted trade and manufacturing supply chains particularly in sectors dependent on global inputs; and
- (d) if  so,  whether the Government proposes to undertake reforms to address these issues, including digitalisation  of  certification  processes,  capacity  building  of  testing  laboratories  or  mutual recognition of foreign certifications and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B.L. VERMA)

- (a) : The  procedure  for  Grant  of  License  for  a  product  under  the  BIS  Product  Certification scheme  i.e.  Scheme-I  involves  submission  of  application  by  the  manufacturer  (by  both  domestic  and foreign) as per the relevant Indian Standards, assessment of the manufacturing and testing capabilities of the applicant manufacturer through factory inspection at the manufacturing premises and testing of the product samples in third party labs to establish conformity of the product to the relevant Indian Standards.

Domestic manufacturers have the option to adopt a simplified procedure also in which factory inspection is not required.

Details of number of applications received, certifications granted, and average processing time for Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certifications under various Quality Control Orders (QCOs) during the last three years, year-wise are tabulated below:

## for Domestic manufacturers :

| Year    | No. of application s received   | No. of licenses granted   | No. of Licenses granted for Products under   | Average time taken for Grant of License (for products under QCO) Procedure   | Average time taken for Grant of License (for products under QCO) Procedure   | Average time taken for Grant of License (for products under QCO) Procedure   |
|---------|---------------------------------|---------------------------|----------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         |                                 |                           | QCO                                          | Normal (involving factory inspection)                                        | Simplified (without inspection)                                              | Procedure factory                                                            |
| 2022-23 | 6613                            | 5311                      | 2535                                         | 93 days                                                                      |                                                                              | 25 days                                                                      |
| 2023-24 | 9106                            | 7383                      | 4066                                         | 68 days                                                                      |                                                                              | 26 days                                                                      |
| 2024-25 | 11569                           | 9479                      | 5113                                         | 81 days                                                                      |                                                                              | 27 days                                                                      |

## for Foreign Manufacturers :

| Year    |   Number of licenses granted to foreign manufacturers against the products under QCO. |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2022-23 |                                                                                   369 |
| 2023-24 |                                                                                   414 |
| 2024-25 |                                                                                   526 |
| Total   |                                                                                  1309 |

For foreign manufacturers time taken for grant of license also depends on factors such as time taken in  issuance of VISA to the auditor, manufacturer's confirmation of audit readiness, and availability of samples as per the relevant Indian Standards, dispatch of samples sealed during inspection to Indian labs, payment of applicable fees and charges by applicant etc.

(b) & (c) : Representations  from  stakeholders  regarding  various  issues  related  to  Quality Control  Orders  are  addressed  by  concerned  line  Ministry/Department/Regulator  notifying  the  QCO. Comments on these representations are shared by BIS with the concerned regulators on a regular basis.

With regards to existing testing infrastructure, BIS is operating its conformity assessment schemes through its own 8 laboratories and more than 370 recognized laboratories spread across the country and more than 290 Government Laboratories/Laboratories of national importance. BIS is also utilizing the services  of  NABL  accredited  laboratories,  manufacturer`s  own  laboratory,  testing  facilities  available elsewhere in the country such as in Technical Institutions, Academia.

Wherever ISO/IEC standards exist, 93.7% of the Indian Standards developed by BIS are aligned with the corresponding ISO/IEC standards. For the remaining standards, there is a requirement to have specifications based on local conditions.

(d) : For  Domestic  Manufacturers,  product  certification  activities  and  processes  have  been digitised. An Online platform 'Manak online' is available for product certification activities right from the stage of submission of application to award of certification including all communications, payment, queries through the portal itself. The renewal of certifications has also been made automatic without any human intervention. The manufacturer can simply submit the renewal application at his convenience and after the online submission, the renewal endorsement gets generated extending the validity of certification. Further, inspections and surveillance activities in  product  certification  operations  have  also  been  digitised  with usage  of  mobile  apps  equipped  with  features  like  real-time  reporting,  geo-fencing  and  geo-tagging measures

The  laboratory  ecosystem  of  Bureau  of  Indian  Standards  (BIS)  comprises  of  its  own  10 Laboratories, Public and Private laboratories recognized under BIS Laboratory recognition scheme and Government Laboratories empaneled by BIS.

To broaden the scope of testing, BIS approved a total of 1,917 inclusion requests in 2024-25 for new Indian Standards and product categories. Additionally, 989 inclusions have already been granted in the current financial  year, allowing recognized laboratories to expand their testing coverage and better serve industry needs.

Possibility of Mutual recognition of foreign certifications under the provisions of Government-toGovernment Mutual Recognition agreement (MRA) with interested countries  is  explored  during  trade negotiations.

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