25 March 2026·PIB

NATIONAL STANDARD FOR BOMB DISPOSAL SYSTEM

In this note

1. At a Glance

IS 19445:2025 — India's first dedicated Indian Standard on 'Performance Evaluation and Requirements' of Bomb Disposal Systems, issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on 24 December 2025 [1][2].
Specifies qualitative requirements and test methods for various bomb disposal systems (bomb blankets, bomb baskets, bomb inhibitors etc.) [1][2].
Relevant for UPSC under Internal Security (GS-III) — bridges standards-setting, counter-IED capability, and indigenous defence manufacturing [2].

On 25 March 2026, the Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs informed Parliament about the issuance of IS 19445:2025 by BIS [1].
The standard was formally released on National Consumer Day (24 December 2025) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi by Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Shri Pralhad Joshi [2].

Formulation initiated on a request from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory (TBRL), DRDO [2].
Drivers: rising deployment of bomb disposal equipment across security/civilian agencies; absence of a dedicated Indian standard; partial misalignment of international standards with Indian threat profiles [2].
Developed under BIS's Civil Use of Weapons and Ammunition Sectional Committee, with a panel chaired by TBRL, DRDO [2].
MHA already issues Qualitative Requirements (QRs) for Bomb Detection & Disposal Squad (BDDS) equipment (e.g., Bomb Suit QRs, 2023) — IS 19445 now formalises performance evaluation [3].

Standard Number: IS 19445:2025 [1].
Title: Bomb Disposal Systems — Performance Evaluation and Requirements [2].
Issuing Body: Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution [1][2].
Date of Issue: 24 December 2025 (National Consumer Day) [1][2].
Originating Requests: MHA + TBRL (DRDO) [2].
Sectional Committee: Civil Use of Weapons and Ammunition Sectional Committee, BIS [2].
Adoption: Voluntary, available to manufacturers, procurement agencies, security agencies, testing bodies [1][2].
Coverage: Test equipment & range conditions, evaluation procedures, test methodologies, apparatus, specimens, acceptance criteria — particularly for blast loads and splinter effects [2].

Strategic / Internal Security: Standardises counter-IED equipment used by NSG, CAPFs, state police BDDS units; reduces inter-agency variability in equipment performance [2][3].
Scientific / Technological: Anchored in TBRL, Chandigarh, DRDO's lead lab for terminal ballistics; codifies indigenous test methodologies for blast and fragmentation [2].
Economic / Atmanirbhar Bharat: Encourages domestic manufacturing of bomb blankets, baskets, inhibitors against a benchmarked Indian standard, reducing import dependence [2].
Administrative / Governance: Inter-ministerial product — MHA (user) + DRDO (technical) + BIS under M/o Consumer Affairs (standards); classic example of convergence in standards-setting [1][2].
Legal: Issued under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016; voluntary unless a Quality Control Order (QCO) is later notified [1].

24 Dec 2025: IS 19445:2025 released by Minister Pralhad Joshi at Bharat Mandapam on National Consumer Day [2].
25 Mar 2026: MoS MHA's written reply in Parliament confirms issuance and stakeholder consultation [1].

IS 19445:2025 pertains to Bomb Disposal Systems [1].
Issued by BIS, not by DRDO or MHA directly [1].
BIS functions under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution [2].
Statutory parent: BIS Act, 2016 [1].
Released on National Consumer Day — 24 December [2].
TBRL (Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory), a DRDO lab at Chandigarh, chaired the drafting panel [2].
Drafted under BIS's Civil Use of Weapons and Ammunition Sectional Committee [2].
Adoption is voluntary, not mandatory [1][2].
Examples of bomb disposal systems covered: bomb blanket, bomb basket, bomb inhibitor [2].
Releasing minister: Pralhad Joshi (Consumer Affairs) [2].
Venue of release: Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi [2].

GS-III — Internal Security: "Role of various security forces and agencies"; "Basics of cyber security; money-laundering" (counter-IED capability).
GS-III — Science & Technology: Indigenisation, DRDO contributions.
Probable Mains stems: 1. "Standardisation of internal-security equipment is as critical as its procurement." Discuss in the context of IS 19445:2025 on bomb disposal systems. 2. Examine the role of DRDO laboratories such as TBRL in supporting India's counter-IED ecosystem. 3. How do inter-ministerial standards-setting mechanisms strengthen Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence and homeland security?

Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 — parent statute enabling such standards.
National Security Guard (NSG) — primary bomb disposal force.
DRDO labs (TBRL, HEMRL, ARDE) — armament R&D ecosystem.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) & UAPA — counter-terror legal arc, where IEDs feature.
Quality Control Orders (QCOs) — mechanism by which a voluntary standard becomes mandatory.
Make in India / Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 — indigenous procurement linkage.
MHA's BDDS Qualitative Requirements — operational counterpart to BIS standard [3].
Bomb Data Centre (NSG) — IED incident database.

BIS is under Consumer Affairs, not Home Affairs or Defence — a frequent confusion.
The standard is voluntary, not mandatory (no QCO notified yet) [1].
TBRL is a DRDO lab, not an MHA body — located at Chandigarh.
The release date is 24 Dec 2025 (issuance) — not the 25 Mar 2026 parliamentary reply date.
IS 19445 covers performance evaluation, not procurement rules or operational SOPs.