UPSC Prelims 2026 Q80: BIS Bomb Disposal Standard IS 19445 — Explained
The Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) recently introduced a national standard to test and assess bomb disposal system. Which of the following statements with regard to this system is/are correct?
1. The new standard is known as IS 19445 : 2025.
2. It will improve interoperability of equipment across agencies.
3. It was developed by TBRL, DRDO in collaboration with the 30th Central Scientific Research Institute, Russia.
- 1, 2 and 3
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 1 only
Answer: (c) 1 and 2 only
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: correct — The standard is IS 19445:2025, titled 'Bomb Disposal Systems — Performance Evaluation and Requirements'. Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi released it on National Consumer Day, 24 December 2025, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The ':2025' at the end is the year the standard was published.
- 2: correct — Before this, India had no national standard for testing bomb disposal systems, and agencies had limited access to international standards. IS 19445:2025 sets common test methods, test equipment, range conditions and acceptance criteria. Defence, police and civilian agencies can therefore buy and certify equipment against one benchmark, which makes equipment interoperable across agencies.
- 3: incorrect — The standard was made at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), a DRDO lab in Chandigarh. It was developed within BIS's Arms and Ammunition for Civilian Use Sectional Committee, through a dedicated panel convened by TBRL. No foreign institution was involved. The 'Russian institute' detail is a made-up distractor. BIS drew on international best practice but adapted it to Indian threat conditions.
How to eliminate
Statement 3 is the weak one. Indian Standards are written by BIS's own technical committees, made up of Indian ministries, labs, industry and users. A security standard co-developed with a foreign military research institute is very unlikely, and the oddly specific '30th Central Scientific Research Institute, Russia' is a typical planted detail. Statement 2 describes what any common testing standard does, so it is safe to accept. Once you drop 3 and keep 2, only one option has 2 without 3, and that option also includes 1. So you can reach the answer without remembering the exact IS number. Fact to remember: IS 19445:2025, released on National Consumer Day 2025, convened by TBRL (DRDO) at the request of MHA.
Know more
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is India's national standards body. It works under the BIS Act, 2016, and sits in the Department of Consumer Affairs. A standard is written by a sectional committee of government, labs, industry and users, then published as IS [number]:[year].
Standards vs. mandatory rules
| Instrument | Nature | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Standard (IS) | Voluntary technical benchmark | IS 19445:2025 (bomb disposal systems) |
| Quality Control Order (QCO) | Makes a standard compulsory for listed products | QCOs issued by ministries and DPIIT |
| ISI mark / Hallmark | Certification mark showing conformity | Electrical goods; gold jewellery |
IS 19445:2025 is meant for voluntary adoption by procurement agencies, manufacturers and testing bodies.
What IS 19445:2025 covers
- Equipment such as the bomb blanket, bomb basket and bomb inhibitor, which contain a blast and stop fragments from a suspected explosive.
- How systems perform against blast loads and splinter (fragment) effects.
- Test equipment, test-range conditions, test specimens, procedures and acceptance criteria.
- Users: test sponsors, manufacturers and accredited testing agencies.
Who made it
- Requested by the Ministry of Home Affairs and TBRL, DRDO.
- Developed under BIS's Arms and Ammunition for Civilian Use Sectional Committee, through a panel convened by TBRL.
- TBRL (Chandigarh) is DRDO's lab for terminal ballistics, explosives and blast effects. It also runs the Rail Track Rocket Sled facility used for Gaganyaan parachute tests.
Why it matters: Common test methods mean equipment is judged on one benchmark. This supports uniform procurement and interoperability across agencies, and encourages domestic, quality-driven manufacturing.
In the news
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi released IS 19445:2025 on National Consumer Day, 24 December 2025, as India's first dedicated standard for bomb disposal systems. It came up again in a Rajya Sabha reply in March 2026, two months before Prelims.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- ISI mark: The ISI mark ties BIS's 'IS number' standards to product certification, which helps you read the code tested in Statement 1.