Bureau of Indian Standards
Also called: BIS · Topic: Consumer Rights and Consumer Protection · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is India's national standards body. It is statutory, which means a law of Parliament set it up. It comes under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. BIS writes quality standards for products. It certifies goods that meet them with marks like the ISI mark and the Ecomark. It is also the only agency that runs hallmarking, which certifies the purity of gold and silver.
BIS began as the Indian Standards Institution (1947). It became BIS under the BIS Act 1986, which was replaced by the BIS Act 2016. The 2016 Act allows the government to make certification compulsory. It does this for some goods through Quality Control Orders (QCOs), which are rules that ban the sale of goods without the BIS mark. BIS is India's member in ISO, the international standards body.
Example
Gold hallmarking became mandatory in notified districts from 23 June 2021, starting with 256 districts. From 1 April 2023, BIS-registered jewellers may sell gold jewellery only if it carries a 6-digit HUID (Hallmark Unique ID). By November 2026, 392 districts were covered. A buyer can check a HUID on the free BIS CARE app.
Don't confuse with
- ISO: a global standards body based in Geneva. BIS is India's own body and a member of ISO.
- Agmark: given by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection under the Agriculture Ministry for farm produce such as honey. BIS does not issue it.