Bureau of Indian Standards
Bureau of Indian Standards
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is an Indian National Standard Body. BIS is supported by the Government of India’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. It has provided various benefits to the national economy through standardization, testing, and certification, such as providing quality and reliable goods that are safe for internal and external consumption, minimizing health hazards to consumers, promoting export and import substitutes, and so on. BIS participates in the following activities:
- Standards Formulation
- Product Certification Scheme
- Compulsory Registration Scheme
- Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme
- Hall Marking Scheme
- Laboratory Services
- Laboratory Recognition Scheme
- Sale of Indian Standards
- Consumer Affairs Activities
- Promotional Activities
- Training Services, National & International level
- Information Services
Ground For Complaints
Complaints can be registered with the BIS on the following grounds:
- Quality of BIS certified product.
- Products under Registration Scheme
- Hallmarked products
- Services of BIS such as sales, library, technical information services and general services
- Activities of BIS such as Standard Formulation, Product and Management System
- Certification, Laboratory testing etc.
- Unauthorized use of BIS Standard Mark by licensees/applicants/others
- Irregularities in operation and misuse of license by BIS licensees
- False or misleading advertisements and claims by licensees or applicants or non-licensees
- Delay in grant or renewal of licenses and delays in inclusion of additional varieties
- Regarding the services rendered by BIS officers and employees
Complaint Redressal Mechanism
There are various ways in which the complaint can be registered:
(i) To the BIS:
- By the Consumer Engagement Portal on eBIS website, namely, www.manakonline.in
- Through the mobile application launched by BIS, namely, BIS CARE. The app can be found at: Click here
- By writing email at complaints@bis.gov.in
- By contacting/writing to the Public Grievance officer of the nearest Regional/ Branch office of BIS.
- By contacting/writing directly to the Head (Complaints Management & Enforcement Department)
The following form could be used to register the complaint: Click here
(ii) Approaching any other appropriate judicial or quasi-judicial body:
The complainant is free to take the service provider to a court or any other suitable venue (judicial or quasi-judicial). The proceedings in consumer commissions are not mired by the niceties of procedure, allowing the complainant to file a complaint for himself. As a consumer, the aggrieved party can take the service provider to the appropriate consumer commission, based on the pecuniary and territorial jurisdiction. The jurisdictions of the various consumer commissions are as follows-
a) District Commission: The aggrieved consumer can reach out to the District Commission under section 34 of the CPA, 2019, which provides that the district commission shall entertain matters where the value of the goods or services paid as consideration does not exceed more than one crore rupees.
b) State Commission: In cases where the value of the goods or services paid as consideration is more than one crore, but less than 10 crores, the consumer can approach the State Commission. Moreover, in cases of unfair contracts, the State Commission has original jurisdiction and the consumer can be directly approached. An appeal against the order of the District Commission can also be made under section 47 of the CPA, 2019.
c) National Commission: The National Commission can entertain matters where the value of goods or services paid as consideration exceeds 10 crores. Section 58 also provides that complaints against unfair contracts can be entertained by NCDRC when the amount of value paid exceeds 10 crores. The NCDRC also has appellate jurisdiction against the orders of any State Commission and Central Authority.
Moreover, it must also be kept in mind, that Section 100 of the CPA, 2019 provides that the remedy under CPA is in addition and not in derogation of other available remedies.
Another remedy available to consumers is mediation. Chapter 5 of the Consumer Protection Act provides for establishing mediation cells and resolving consumer complaints using mediation.
The following link could be used to file complaints online:Click here
(iii) Central Consumer Protection Authority
If the commission finds violations of rights of consumers or in notice of trade practices which is unfair it can inquire or cause an inquiry, either on receipt of complaint or suo moto or as directed by Central Government. If the commission finds, after preliminary inquiry, of an existence of a prima facie case of consumer rights violation or it is in notice of any unfair trade practice or any wrong or inaccurate advertisement which is prejudicial to public interest or to the interests of the consumers,it can order an investigation by the District Collector or by Director General.
The consumer can complain to the District Collector of the respective district for investigation and subsequent proceedings by the CCPA. He/she/they can also submit a complaint via email, at com-ccpa@nic.in.
Acts
1. The Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016:
It is an Act to provide for the formation of a national standards organization to ensure the smooth growth of standardization, conformity assessment, and quality assurance operations for products, articles, processes, systems, and services, as well as matters connected with or incidental thereto.
Click here