What is licensing and surveillance?

The Bureau of Indian Standards is a governing body in the field of food, consumption and public distribution operating under the Act of 2016. The authority performs its operations to prescribe standardisation of goods and services. For every product to sell in a market needs to go through the process of licensing accompanied by surveillance. Licensing refers to the gateway to allow the product to be sold in the market along with this process surveillance is conducted through inspection of the product. The procedures of standardisation and certification are essential for any product to go through to get their products registered under BIS.

Role of BIS in Licensing process

Manufacturers have to go through the process of certification which allows the license to their product. The certification scheme is one of the largest in the world and allows overseas manufacturers to grant licenses to use the BIS Standard Mark. There are over 26500 licenses covering more than 900 products. Products such as cement, food and related products, household electrical goods, automobile accessories, oil pressure stoves, medical equipment, steel products, electrical transformers, diesel engines, cylinders, valves and regulators require BIS Certification otherwise no manufacturer can sell or manufacture their products. There are a few types of BIS Certification Schemes available such as:

1. Normal Procedure for Domestic Manufacturers – It follows regular procedures for the product to get the required certification process with an application along the required documents and submitting the documents.
2. Simplified Procedure for Domestic Manufacturers – On the satisfactory test report and proper verification process. The license is granted within 30 days of the submission of BIS certification.
3. Tatkal Scheme – Under the scheme, the process is done under strict guidelines and the license is granted within 30 days as the application is on a priority basis.
4. ECO Mark Scheme – The scheme is introduced for eco-friendly products which are granted licenses following a similar process.
5. Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme – The procedure is allowed to overseas manufacturers for the use of ISI mark under a scheme that is designed within 6 months period.

Purpose of BIS registration

Registration under BIS is an essential process which obliges all the manufacturers to ensure the health and safety of the consumers. This process of registration is divided into two parts where there is a compulsory certification scheme to be followed as well as an ISI mark scheme. This process ensures conformity and standardization of the products in the economy by providing quality goods to protect the environment, consumers and promote import and export activities. BIS also helps in supporting many public policies in the areas of environment, product safety, food safety, consumer protection, etc. the following are the schemes which are covered under BIS as:

Hallmarking- This scheme applies to precious ornaments like silver and gold.

Product certification Scheme- The scheme includes products which are in an intangible form and need compulsory certification.

ECO mark Scheme- It applies to products related to the environment or which affect the environment.

System Certification Scheme- This is the application process required by all the manufacturers to follow before the launch of a product.

Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme- This scheme applies to foreign manufacturers who engage in the sale of goods in India.

There is a requirement of documents that need to be submitted under this procedure which is as follows:

First Part- The following documents are needed for technical information for testing in the labs such as the user manual, list of critical components, PCB layout and schematic diagrams.

Second Part- The following documents are required to complete the process of registration such as trademark registration, factory legal address proof, list of machinery, list of equipment, organisational chart of the factory and authorised Indian representative documents if the manufacturer is from abroad.

BIS engages in various activities such as laboratory services, training services, hallmarking, standards formulation, certification process, etc to ensure harmonious development under the activities of standardisation, marking and quality certification of products. The validity of such registration is for two years and can be renewed. The License can be renewed for a minimum period of 1 year and a maximum of 5 years. The annual renewal fees shall be five thousand rupees which can be paid late for the renewal application.

Types of Licensing

There are two types of licenses namely voluntary licensing which is done for profit like when Tesla opened all its patents to help penetrate the electric vehicle movement in society and compulsory licensing which is done for the benefit of society like in the case of COVID-19 the government there were many schemes introduced for the welfare of society or which is taken as mandatory for consideration of public health.

Surveillance process

Surveillance is the next step after licensing process which takes place after the inspection before any activity can be conducted in a factory. The first step begins with inspection and samples are tested. Once the samples have been taken by the inspection authority comes the process where the samples are tested independently. The samples tested come back with a report which contains either complaints or feedback on the investigation held. The next step is if the performance review will be ready and later license shall be granted once the report has been reviewed.

Conclusion

The Bureau of Indian Standards plays a vital role in maintaining the quality and what items should be sold in the Indian market. The process of registration ensures that the product that is to be sold in the market by the manufacturers holds certain quality and standards which the consumers can rely on when they are purchasing a product. The company has to go through the licensing process to sell that product and later surveillance process to ensure the product is fulfilling the criteria of standardisation. Certification is an essential criterion that needs to be fulfilled to guarantee the quality, reliability and safety of the product which shall be sold in the market. The authority takes such measures and procedures to ensure public satisfaction and safety.

India Fillings https://www.indiafilings.com/learn/how-to-get-bis-certification-in-india/

SWARIT Advisors https://swaritadvisors.com/blog/purpose-of-bis-registration-and-why-we-need-this/#License_process

Cleartax https://cleartax.in/s/bis-certification

BIS.GOV.IN https://www.bis.gov.in/index.php/system-certification-overview/system-certification-licence/surveillance/#:~:text=After%20Grant%20of%20licence%2C%20a,in%20the%20next%20calendar%20year.

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