BIS authority announces Amendment of Conformity Assessment Scheme for LV Switchgear

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has announced a change to the conformity assessment scheme for low-voltage switchgear in India. According to the new notification, the current Scheme II will be replaced by BIS’s Scheme X, effective April 1, 2023. This is to ensure the safety and quality of LV switchgear used in various applications such as power distribution, control and protection. LV switchgear and similar products are covered by BIS certification in India.

LV switchgear covered by the new Scheme X includes the following product categories:

No.	Electrical Equipment	Indian Standard
1	Low – Voltage switchgear and controlgear: Circuit – Breakers	IS/IEC 60947 : Part 2 : 2016
2	Low – Voltage switchgear and controlgear: switches, disconnectors, switch disconnectors and fuse – Combination units	IS/IEC 60947 : Part 3 : 2012
3	Low – Voltage switchgear and controlgear: electromechanical contactors and motor – Starters	IS/IEC 60947 : Part 4 : Sec 1 : 2012
4	Low – Voltage switchgear and controlgear: a.c semiconductor motor controllers and starters	IS/IEC 60947 : Part 4 : Sec 2 : 2011
5	Low – Voltage switchgear and controlgear: a.c. semiconductor motor controllers and contactors for non – Motor loads	IS/IEC 60947 : Part 4 : Sec 3 : 2014
6	Low – Voltage switchgear and controlgear: electromechanical control circuit devicesLow – Voltage switchgear and controlgear: electromechanical control circuit devices	IS/IEC 60947 : Part 5 : Sec 1 : 2009
7	Low – Voltage switchgear and controlgear proximity switches	IS/IEC 60947 : Part 5 : Sec 2:2007
8	Low – Voltage switchgear and controlgear: electrical emergency stop devices with mechanical latching function	S/IEC 60947 : Part 5 : Sec 5 : 2016

 Under the new scheme manufacturers and importers of LV switchgear must comply with the Indian IS 60947 series of standards, which includes performance and testing requirements for LV switchgear. One major difference is that BIS will now conduct initial and, if necessary, periodic audits at manufacturers and importer’s production facilities to ensure compliance with the standard.

BIS has stated that the change in the conformity assessment scheme will not affect the validity of the existing BIS license or registration for LV switchgear under Scheme II, however manufacturers and importers must apply for a new license or registration under the new Scheme X upon expiration of the existing license or BIS registration.

Implementation will take place gradually from April 1, 2023.

Since 2012, the BIS has been gradually expanding the certification catalog and continuously adding additional goods. BIS certification mandatory for many electronic products for industrial and consumer uses. Factory inspections are also required for some products.

If you are interested in understanding what requirements are needed for your product to be imported into India, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone (Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261, US: +1 773 654-2673). There is no cost or obligation for us to check for you. If a certification need is discovered we can provide a quotation to make sure that all your certification needs are covered.

If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

For more information about BIS certification, please refer to our free brochure “BIS Certification Made Easy“.

Indian internet industry could be worth US$5 trillion by 2030

Despite some setbacks this year, the Indian internet industry could be worth US$5 trillion by 2030. This is according to a report by Redseer, quoted by the Economic Times. With around 780 million internet users, India is considered the second largest user in the world. As digital applications will continue to play an important role, product sales in the private and public sectors will rise to 5 trillion US dollars, according to market observers from Redseer Strategy Consultants. To this end, the study cites that on average, residents of India spend around 7.3 hours a day on their smartphones – one of the highest usage times in the world. Electronic components or finished electronic devices require BIS certification or TEC certification to import or market them in India.

This time is spent on messaging services, social media, YouTube streaming and short videos. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, most online users are in major cities or Indian megacities, the report said. A new trend in consumption behaviour points to twice as much time spent watching user-generated content instead of platform-generated content. The dramatic rise in digital consumption and penetration of digital services in Indian cities is the primary growth driver of Indian digital advertising. Due to increased consumption of short videos, the report expects a massive increase in investment in digital advertising instead of driving sales.

Regarding product certificaiton, depending on the product, a distinction is made between BIS-ISI or BIS-CRS certification. TEC is the abbreviation for Telecommunication Engineering Center. TEC is the competent authority in India when it comes to TEC certification for telecommunication products. From 1991 to 2019, TEC certification was still possible as a voluntary product registration, but now it is mandatory for many product groups. As the product list is constantly being expanded, we are pleased to help you with an initial assessment. MPR International GmbH – India Certification supports you with a pending BIS certification and is also available at any time to answer your questions.

If you are interested in understanding what requirements are needed for your product to be imported into India, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone (Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261, US: +1 773 654-2673). There is no cost or obligation for us to check for you. If a certification need is discovered we can provide a quotation to make sure that all your certification needs are covered.

If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

For more information about BIS certification, please refer to our free brochure “BIS Certification Made Easy“.

For more information about TEC certification, please refer to our free brochure “TEC Certification Made Easy“.

2023 vehicle sales figures for India: car, tractor and truck sales are up

Since the beginning of the year, almost all Indian vehicle manufacturers have experienced rising sales. Market leader Maruti Suzuki, for example, recorded an increase of about 14 percent. Car sales in particular are watched by analysts as an important indicator of private consumption and account for more than 50 percent of economic growth in India. Although inflation in India has risen above the Reserve Bank of India’s tolerance level of six per cent, there are signs of a decline. Cars and their components usually have to be AIS certified in order to be imported and sold in India.

In terms of individual manufacturers, Maruti Suzuki India’s passenger car sales rose 23 per cent, Mahindra & Mahindra’s 56 per cent and Tata Motors’ 55 per cent. Multi-purpose vehicles, one of the fastest growing segments, saw a 33 per cent increase for Maruti and 56 per cent for Mahindra. Sales of tractors, which give an indication of the economic demand in rural areas and the level of farmers’ income, rose by around 10 per cent each for Mahindra as well as VST Tillers Tractors, while Kubota was up 11 per cent.
Sales of two-wheelers, taking TVS Motor Co. as an example, rose only marginally to over 263,000 units and competitor Bajaj even reported a drop of about 22 per cent to 262,000 units. Sales figures of two-wheelers are considered an indicator of the purchasing power of India’s largest consumer class, broadly classified as lower and middle income households. Eicher, which distributes Royal Enfield motorbikes, reported a 37 per cent increase in sales to over 70,700 units.

Cars and their components have to be certified under the AIS guidelines in India. AIS stands for Automotive Industry Standards, the technical automotive standards for India. MPR International GmbH – India Certification will be pleased to assist you with AIS certification and is also available to answer any questions you may have.

AIS stands for Automotive Industry Standards, the technical automotive standards for India, while TAC stands for Type Approval Certificate. This kind of automotive product certifiation is conducted by authorities like the International Center for Automotive Technology (iCAT).

Depending on the product category, there are different certification steps. We will be happy to advise you on certification in India like AIS, BIS, WPC, TEC or PESO and are always available to answer your questions.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details and consultation. You can contact us via e-mail, or call us (UK: +44 2071931135, Rest of Europe: +49 69 2713769261, US: +1 773 654-2673).

If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

You can also check out our free AIS-Brochure, which can be downloaded right here as a PDF file.
 

BIS has published 21,980 standards for products and processes to date

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published a total of 21,890 standards for products, process flows, services, workflows as well as test methods since its inception. This was announced by the Minister in charge of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, to the Parliamentary Chamber “Rajya Sabha”. The BIS is India’s national standardisation body and drafts standards for various sectors of the economy. Through the standards, the BIS ensures end-to-end quality awareness among manufacturers, industry, consumers and government institutions. “The standards benefit all sectors of industry, irrespective of their size. It would also make processes more efficient, increase quality and reduce costs,” the minister said.

He further added that the standards would simplify international trade and provide greater certainty to investors. While drafting a standard for India, the BIS technical committees use existing internationally recognised standards such as those of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) or the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). In doing so, the BIS teams try to stay as close as possible to the international standards, says Choubey. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to adapt ISO/IEC standards to local circumstances such as health, safety, environment, national security and prevention of deception, he said. Currently, 87 per cent of Indian standards are in line with ISO/IEC standards, if applicable to the individual case.

A large number of diverse products require BIS certification in order to import them into India or bring them to market. Depending on the product, a distinction is made between BIS-ISI or BIS-CRS certification. As the product list is constantly being expanded, we will be pleased to help you with an initial assessment. MPR International GmbH – India Certification supports you with a pending BIS certification and is also available at any time to answer any questions you may have.

If you are interested in understanding what requirements are needed for your product to be imported into India, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone (Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261, US: +1 773 654-2673). There is no cost or obligation for us to check for you. If a certification need is discovered we can provide a quotation to make sure that all your certification needs are covered.

If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

For more information about BIS certification, please refer to our free brochure “BIS Certification Made Easy“.

Postponement of 6 Airbags Mandate for M-1 Passenger Vehicles

The MoRTH (Ministry of Road and Transport and Highways) had proposed through draft GSR 16(E) on January 14, 2022 that M1 category vehicles manufactured after October 1, 2022 must be equipped with two side/side torso airbags for the front row outboard seating positions and two side airbags for the outboard seating positions. This is to improve the safety of vehicle occupants. However, the MoRTH has now proposed to change the implementation date to October 1, 2023 through draft GSR 751(E) dated September 30, 2022. Airbags must be tested and approved according to the AIS (Automotive Industry Standards) that address “occupant protection requirements” in order to be approved for import and distribution in India.

For more information on the Type Approval Certificate (TAC) in Indian, see our AIS certification page.
Comments and suggestions were once again invited from all the stakeholders within the period of thirty days and will be under consideration before the Ministry.

Depending on the product category, there are different certification steps. We will be happy to advise you on certification in India like AIS Certification and are always available to answer your questions.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for further details and consultation. You can contact us via e-mail, or call us (UK: +44 2071931135, Rest of Europe: +49 69 2713769261, US: +1 773 654-2673).

If you have any questions you can also use our chat-window in the bottom right. (Please check your browser settings if you can’t see the window)

You can also check out our free AIS-Brochure, which can be downloaded right here as a PDF file.