Govt plans digitized ‘smart standards’ to ease compliance

New Delhi: In a bid to reduce the compliance burden on businesses, India is working on ‘smart standards’—digital, machine-readable versions of product and quality norms. The government aims to launch the standards by 14 October to mark World Standards Day, consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare said on Tuesday.

At an event of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Khare said the initiative would make standards easier to implement and help align India with developed countries.

“We are trying to complete the process by World Standards Day on 14 October. This will bring India into the club of developed countries, where standards are becoming smart standards,” she said.

Apart from bringing accuracy and compliance ease for the industry, smart standards will also improve regulatory efficiency.

To be sure, standards are voluntary in nature and become mandatory only when they are notified through a quality control order (QCO).

The secretary said that improving product quality must become a priority as consumer complaints continue to rise. “The time has come for us to realize that we cannot grow unless we address quality concerns in our manufacturing processes and in the way we sell products to consumers,” she said.

Khare also announced a significant change in the enforcement approach under the Legal Metrology Act, which is on the standards for weights and measures. Under this, authorities will now issue ‘Improvement Notices’ to manufacturers and retailers for minor violations, giving them time to fix issues.

“This is the first time that, under the Legal Metrology Act, we will be issuing Improvement Notices to manufacturers and retailers, giving them time to rectify minor mistakes before the case is taken up for compounding,” Khare said.

The government also plans to modernize India’s product testing ecosystem by expanding testing infrastructure and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

“We need to scale up our testing infrastructure to test more samples with greater accuracy and less human intervention,” Khare said, adding that the use of AI and robotics would enhance the accuracy and traceability of tests while lowering testing costs, particularly for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

India has about 22,689 standards in force, managed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

These standards lay down specifications for the quality, safety, performance and reliability of products, helping ensure uniformity across manufacturers, protecting consumers from substandard goods, and facilitating trade. For businesses, compliance with standards improves product quality, facilitates market access and exports, and reduces disputes arising from inconsistent specifications.

A FICCI-Deloitte report released on Tuesday has projected that India’s private consumption would reach $1.9 trillion by 2030, driven by rising disposable incomes, rapid urbanization, an expanding middleclass, deeper internet penetration and the growing digital payments ecosystem.

The report also said regulators are increasingly adopting digital tools and harmonized compliance frameworks to improve the ease of doing business and strengthen consumer protection.

The report noted that quality standards are becoming a strategic business issue rather than just a compliance requirement, particularly as Indian companies expand into the global markets, where adherence to product quality, safety and sustainability standards is essential.