Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday launched an online directory, which provides information about Indian standards of various products and testing infrastructure in the country for the benefit of various stakeholders such as start-ups.
There are estimated 10,000 labs across the country. Currently, about 4,500 labs owned by public and private academic institutions are listed on the online directory.
“The directory is a one-stop solution for all testing requirements and houses information about all testing facilities available in the country today,” Mr. Paswan said after the launch of the directory.
Consumers can also make use of the information to test the quality of the products they are using, he added.
Elaborating more, the government’s standard-setting body Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) director general, Surina Rajan, said the directory provides in detail what products can be tested against which standards — Indian or international.
At single click, from individual users to entrepreneurs to exporters to companies, everyone can know about testing requirements and location of testing labs in the country.
“For companies, this will be a great use to improve the quality dimension and quality certification,” she said.
About 4,500 labs have come on this directory. The BIS owns only eight labs and recognises 208 labs, which are National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-certified. BIS has 200 more labs that are special purpose labs, she added.
Secretaries from consumer affairs and commerce ministries, special secretary from the home affairs ministry as well as Quality Control of India and FSSAI chiefs were present at the event.
