Friday, September 20, 2013: India has received the status of ‘Authorising Nation’ under the international common criteria recognition arrangement. Now onwards, the country can test electronics and IT products accepted globally and issue globally-valid certificates with regard to cyber security. The Ministry of Communications and IT stated in a release that the status will allow India to test IT and electronics products and issue certificates that will be accepted throughout the globe.
Henceforth, India has attained the status of 17th nation to earn this recognition as per the release. Till date, India had the status of ‘Consuming Nation’ with regard to certification of electronics and IT products.
The fact is consuming members in the CCRA are not entitled to issue globally recognized certificates but, they can issue national certificates.
According to the release, this status requires investment in establishing infrastructure and labs in public as well as private sectors in the country for the purpose of testing electronics and IT products.
Moreover, it will ensure that international companies submit their products for testing and certification in India. The other countries, which enjoy this status are 26 in number and they are the US, the UK, Germany, South Korea, France, Japan, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Malaysia.
For the last five to six years testing of IT and electronics products has been carried out by a Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) wing.
