Almost every category of electronic products sold in India after July 3 will require a IS (Indian Standard) certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). That's the government dictat as of now. But electronic product manufacturers say it's a deadline that's impractical, and if the government sticks to it, there will be massive shortages of products in the coming months.
JV Ramamurthy, president of electronic hardware body MAIT (Manufacturers Association of IT), says over 1,400 products have been given to BIS for certification, but only one product so far has received the certification.
Amar Babu, MD of computer maker Lenovo, says the company had submitted over 70 products some 5-6 months ago and the designated test labs had tested and given the reports for some 50 of those, but the BIS has not yet certified any.
The phenomenal increase in the number of electronic products being introduced in India in recent times pushed the government last year to issue the Compulsory Registration Order that made it mandatory for 15 categories of electronic and IT products to be registered under the BIS.
The categories include laptops, tablets, plasma/LCD/LED televisions, optical disc players, set top boxes, microwave ovens, video games, scanners and printers among others. The idea was to certify them for their quality, safety and health implications under Indian conditions.
The initial government deadline for certification was April 3. But this was extended by three months. However, even now, the BIS does not appear to be in a position to meet the demands on it.
"No one in the industry is questioning the policy. It's a good policy, meant to ensure only genuine products come into the market. But the timeframe for execution is a problem," Babu says.
Ramamurthy, who is also the president and COO of HCL Infosystems, says part of the problem is that BIS has not yet finalized the parameters to test for many of the products. "They need to understand the parameters to test, how to test. The labs are unclear about some of these things," he said. Nine labs have been certified to do the tests.
Once the BIS certifies a product, the company has to put the certification sticker on every box with the product, which Ramamurthy says could take 3-4 weeks. Every product manufactured after July 3 or which comes to a port after that date must carry the certification details.
The industry says the way out is to extend the deadline by six months. "The government could also consider a provisional certificate for products that have been submitted to the BIS, so that imports are not hindered," Ramamurthy says.