ISI (Indian Standards Institution) Mark

Why in news?

• Recently Bureau of Indian Standards raids various companies in Mumbai that misuses ISI Mark on Packaged Drinking Water.

ISI Mark:

• ISI Mark is a certification mark used for industrial products in India.
• This mark assures that the product conforms to Indian Standards and is issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• This mark is both mandatory and voluntary.
  • Mandatory ISI certification products consist of electrical appliances, medical equipment, steel products, stainless steel, chemicals, fertilizers, cement, LPG cylinder, batteries, and packed drinking water.
  • In the case of most other products, ISI marks are optional.

What is a certification mark?

• Certification marks on a commercial product are usually called as a mark of validity or an assurance of the fact that the manufacturer has tested the product and it has ensured that it meets the given quality standard.
• It also helps to specify the location of the origin, materials of construction, mode of production, characteristics of the good etc.
• Some of these marks are mandatory while some are advisory.
• A certification mark certifies the nature or origin of the goods or the services to which it has been applied.

Other certification marks:

• BIS Hallmark- purity of gold jewelry and gold.
• AGMAR- For agricultural products in India.
• FPO Mark- processed fruit products sold in India (compulsory).
• Green and brown dot- veg/Non Vegetarian indication on almost all food products.
• India Organic Certification- label provided to farm products processed in India.
• Ecomark- A set of standards aimed at causing the least impact on the ecosystem.
• The Non-Polluting Vehicle Mark- Mandatory certification mark required on all new motor vehicles sold in India

Who sets these marks?

• A special body which is called as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which comes under the aegis of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO standards), govern all the industrial standardization and the industrial product certifications in India.
• It is thus a national standards organization of India.
• BIS is established under the BIS Act 2016.
• It is a body corporate consisting of 25 members representing both Central and State governments, Members of Parliament, industry, scientific and research institutions, consumer organizations and professional bodies
• It is presided by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution act as its Vice-President.

Add ons:

• The misuse of BIS Standard Mark is punishable with imprisonment up to two years or a fine of minimum Rs. 2,00,000 or both as per BIS Act 2016.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Consider the following statements:

1. The Standard Mark of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for automotive tyres and tubes.

2. AGMARK is a quality Certification Mark issued by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

 (a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer