It seems that DeitY has not done much to create awareness about these new rules among the buyers and sellers of these products
By Richa Chakravarty
Wednesday, April 23, 2014: The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has mandated that all imported electronic goods have to comply with the BIS certification norms. Although these standards come into effect from June 11, 2014, most of the traders and retailers selling imported electronic products are unaware of the new requirements.
Shaukat Aziz, a trader of electronics goods at Nehru Place market in New Delhi is not aware of any BIS safety regulations mandated by the government. “I don’t think the buyers are aware of this mandate, either,” he says. Shaukat Aziz is still selling goods without any safety certifications on the products.
Like him, many traders in the major electronics markets across India are not aware of this mandatory safety norm that will come into effect in June. We spoke to traders in Nehru Place, New Delhi and SP Road, Bengaluru. Both these markets are hubs for IT hardware like computers, accessories and peripherals. Most of the traders here are ignorant about the BIS norms.
Says Pramod Kumar Sharma, proprietor, Infosot Computer and Technical Services, “We do not have any knowledge about this issue. We have been buying from the local market as well importing products that we assemble here but no government mandate has been sent to the traders. This mandate is specifically for manufacturers, who have to abide by the BIS certification.”
BIS certification has been made mandatory by the government in order to regulate the flow of sub-standard electronic products into the country, some of which can turn out to be safety and health hazards. There is a big flourishing grey market for electronics across India, in which sub-standards products proliferate due to lack of government oversight.
Opines Ajay Sharma, business development, technology, Swingtel Communication Pvt Ltd, “Traders will not be able to get such technical data. Getting BIS certification is a lengthy process with exorbitant costs, which in itself are a deterrent for most of the players in the industry. As most of the traders are engaged in the buying and selling of boxes (of known brand), it will be difficult for them to abide by BIS certification. We are in a technology-driven domain in which the product becomes obsolete within a few months’ time, hence such a lengthy documentation process will only deter players from abiding by the rules. Moreover, the foreign players are way ahead in terms of safety norms and standards and for them, to comprehend BIS certification will take more time.”
DeitY has also asked the manufacturers of electronics products to screen-print, emboss or engrave labels on products and packaging material. However, it seems that DeitY has not done much to create awareness about these new rules among the buyers and sellers of these products.
Shares Anand Bhansali, director, Anand Industrial Components, “This is a good move on the part of the government — making BIS certificationmandatory. But getting BIS certification is an additional expense for traders (as they will have to renew this every year). Instead, the government should take action at the entry point, that is, custom officers and agencies should be more stringent at the points at which the goods seep into the country. Also, traders can mislead the agency by availing certification for a laptop, whereas what would be imported, would be a desktop. So the agencies will have to be alert and strict in these matters.”
