BIS launches portal for mapping of industrial units and laboratories

India must recognise and accept the importance of quality: Piyush Goyal

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Friday said that we must recognise and accept the importance of quality to make India a developed nation.

He was addressing the gathering on the occasion of 76th Foundation Day of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in New Delhi. Portal for mapping of Industrial Units and Laboratories was launched on the occasion on Friday. This is a centralised platform for information on industrial units and laboratories across the country. This will enable analysis of test facilities in the country and help entrepreneurs in accessing information about testing facilities.

“If we look at the history of developed nations, we find that those countries who adopted ‘Quality’ in early stages of their development cycles progressed faster,” said Goyal.

He further added that these countries were able to engage with the world from a position of strength and inculcate the spirit to have high quality products, goods, services, in turn leading to high quality of lifestyle for the people.

Besides the portal, Goyal also launched standards clubs in schools, Standards National Action Plan (SNAP) 2022-27, revised National Building Code of India (NBC 2016) and National Electrical Code of India 2023.

Through standard clubs in schools, BIS aims to expose science students of class 9th and above to the concepts of quality and standardisation through student centric activities. BIS has till date established over 4000 Standards Clubs across India.

The standards authority has also set a target to create 10,000 clubs by the end of 2022-23.

SNAP (2022-27) effective implementation to strengthen  quality culture. It will serve as a strong foundation for standardisation to meet the emerging technologies and concerns of sustainability and climate change.

On Standards National Action Plan (SNAP) 2022 - 27, the Minister said, “it lays down the roadmap on which we will all have to work to make quality a part of the very thinking and philosophy of every citizen in our country.”

Through the National Building Code Sectional Committee, BIS is initiating the Exercise of Revision National Building Code of India to include sustainable city planning norms, new and sustainable building materials, design concepts, construction technologies and building and plumbing services.

With the launch of Revised National Electrical Code of India 2023, BIS aims to regulate the electrical Installations practices across the country. India’s first National Electrical Code was formulated in the year 1985, which was subsequently revised in the year 2011.

Some of the important new Chapters added in the revised NEC are requirements related to Electrical installations at special locations like Hospitals, Community facilities, Hotels, Swimming Pools, Amusement Parks, Supplies for Electric vehicles, multi-storied buildings etc.

Referring to the prime minister’s call of zero effect zero defect, the minister emphasised that zero defects will help the country produce goods and services of high quality service to people. He also termed zero effect and zero defects as the urgent call of the hour.

The minister applauded BIS for setting up around 4000 Standards Clubs across the country to expand quality connect with the people.