The BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) is set to frame new quality norms for 371 items imported from China by March 2021. These 371 items include various segments such as steel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electrical machinery, furniture, and toys which are imported from China.
The BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards), is a national standards body that work under the guidance of The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, to frame quality Standards. The main Objective of BIS is to formulate and prescribe the standards for products for their certification. China accounts for nearly 14% of India’s Imports and is a major supplier of segments like cell phones, power, telecom, and critical pharma ingredients.
The government is trying to promote Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (Self–reliant) India in various ways, including cut in import dependence from China. The government is obtaining product-wide details of the cheap imports from China, comparison with domestic prices and taxation disadvantage to curb low quality inbound shipments from China.
During April 2019 – February 2020, India imported goods worth $62.4 billion while the exports to the neighboring countries stood at $15.5 billion in the same period. The main appliances, and the goods that are imported from China include clocks and watches, sports goods, furniture, plastics, and electrical machinery.
Many Sub-Standard and non-essential inputs from china will be stopped from March 2021. As India strives towards self-reliance, imports of many non-essential items will be curbed from March 2021. The Minister of Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan said when the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is ready with new quality norms, and the regulations prescribed by the commerce ministry for quality imports, the substandard or the low-quality goods will be stopped from china from the Month of March 2021.
In addition to the new standards, the BIS will also strengthen its surveillance system and has insisted officers working at major ports to work closely with the customs department. The officers are instructed to take the market samples of the imported products, and test them at the port itself.
The BIS Director General added that, “The BIS is also making efforts to increase its surveillance visits at factories and markets to more than a lakh a year from the current 20,000 visits.”. Different Ministries like Steel, Chemical and petroleum have been told to identify the products for making standards. While for some of the low-volume import items, making standards are not necessary.
