Now Reading: India plans machine-readable standards by 14 October
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India plans machine-readable standards by 14 October
India plans to launch digital, machine-readable versions of product and quality standards by 14 October, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said, as the government seeks to cut compliance work for businesses. The…
The Story in Brief
India plans to launch digital, machine-readable versions of product and quality standards by 14 October, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said, as the government seeks to cut compliance work for businesses. The standards would improve accuracy, regulatory efficiency and alignment with international practices, though they would remain voluntary unless made mandatory through a quality control order.
The government will also issue Improvement Notices for minor violations under the Legal Metrology Act, giving manufacturers and retailers time to correct them. It plans to expand product testing and use artificial intelligence and robotics to improve accuracy, traceability and costs, especially for micro, small and medium enterprises. The Bureau of Indian Standards manages 22,689 standards in force.
The Indian Opinion
The easy narrative is that digitising rules alone will transform India’s business climate. It will not, unless standards are written clearly, updated regularly and applied consistently across firms. The opposite claim, that softer action on minor legal metrology breaches weakens consumer protection, also goes too far if correction notices are recorded and repeat offenders face action. The real test is whether the 14 October launch works for small firms, and whether testing becomes faster without reducing accuracy.
Source: livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
