What is Standards ?
A standard is a document that provides agreed solutions to recurring problems. These could be specifications, procedures and guidelines to ensure that products, services and systems are safe, consistent and reliable. of industry
What is an Indian Standards ?
As per the BIS Act 2016, standard that is established and published by BIS (the National Standards Body) in relation to any good, process, system or service is an Indian Standard.
Why do we need Standards ?
Standards help us in many ways. They can: Facilitate trade and commerce Improve processes and make them more efficient Guide in consistent functioning and quality Simplify comparison of products & services Ensure health and safety Conserve resources and reduce impact on our environment Promote technological developments
How Standards are made ?
Standards are developed by technical committees of Standards Developing Organizations, that comprises of stakeholders such as manufacturer, consumer, R&D and scientific institutions, academia, Govt. departments/ Ministries, Regulators and testing laboratories. The nominated experts of such organizations develop standards based on proposals received from any stakeholder following process and practices of good standardization through a process of consensus building aimed at arriving at a common stand point.
Apart from BIS, Are there other bodies develop Standards in India ?
There are a few other dedicated standards bodies in India that also develop Standards in their specific domains, such as: Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) in the telecommunications sector Indian Road Congress (IRC) in the area of roads and bridges Directorate of Standardization, Ministry of Defence for defence standards Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) for standardization of railway equipments & applications Automobile Research Association of India (ARAI) for automotive industry standards Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) for standards on telecom/ICT products & services. There are a few others Ministries/Departments and Regulators who also develop standards for their respective statutory/ regulatory provisions/purposes. These include Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for standards on food safety Indian Road Congress (IRC) in the area of roads and bridges Central Pollution Control Board [CPCB] for standards on emission or discharge of environmental pollution Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for safety requirements & guidance for utilities and users of atomic energy Directorate of Marketing Inspection (DMI) for grading standards of agricultural commodities Central Drugs Standards Control Organization [CDSCO] the standards for drugs and medical devices
Are Standards are mandatory ?
Application/ Implementation of all standards are voluntary but may become an obligation/ mandatory requirement when a standard (in part or whole) referenced in a regulation or in procurement processes adopted by public authorities. A standard becomes mandatory also when contractually agreed between two parties.
How to obtain Standards ?
All Indian standards are accessible and freely downloadable from BIS website, except for Indian Standards that are adoptions of international standards.
