By Electronics Bazaar Bureau
Tuesday, July 2 2013: The Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY) has today confirmed that the government has finally decided not to extend the deadline to get safety certificates from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for 15 categories of electronics and IT products, and sticks to the previous deadline, that is, July 3. These products were supposed to be tested for quality standards and get certification by BIS. Earlier, the deadline was extended from April to July 3.
Despite a three-month extension in the original deadline and around 1400 applications registered with BIS, the bureau could register just one product so far. Hence, the industry was speculating that the deadline will be extended once again.
“DeitY shall provide provisional clearance to the manufacturers and importers to sell goods and to obtain registration for a period of three months beyond July 3, 2013,” a government order said. According to the Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT), 1400 products have been submitted for testing and test results of 400 have been given to BIS.
These 15 categories of items are video games, laptops and tablets, Plasma/LCD/LED TVs, optical disc players, microwave ovens, printers, keyboards, music systems, etc.
This certification system will affect the small unbranded electronics and IT products that are sold in the Indian market. Small importers who buy electronics from countries like China and Taiwan and sell under their own brand name will get adversely afftected as now they have to procure BIS certificates. However, mobile phones and accessories and small computer peripherals are not covered by under this rule.
Although the certification system seems to have good intention and would control grey market, however, only after it is implemented that the practicalities and limitations would come to the fore.
