New Delhi, Jan 7 (NationPress) 2025 has marked a significant milestone for the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as it has introduced over 600 new standards, bringing the total to 23,293 standards that span various sectors including AYUSH, robotics, artificial intelligence, ecology, and other groundbreaking technologies, as stated by Sanjay Garg, the Director General of BIS.

He noted a remarkable increase in product certification, with the count of products under the fast-track certification scheme soaring from 758 to 1,288.

In the year 2025 alone, around 9,700 new licences were issued, primarily within a 30-day timeframe, elevating the total number of product certification licences to over 51,500.

For the first time, 124 new products were mandated to receive BIS certification in 2025, which has increased the total number of certified products to over 1,437. This includes significant additions such as currency note sorting machines (developed in collaboration with the RBI) and injection moulding machines for machinery safety per ISO standards.

During the 79th BIS Foundation Day ceremony, Garg emphasized that BIS has embraced digital transformation through projects like the Manak Online Portal, streamlined licensing processes, expedited trial licences, cluster-based testing facilities, and enhanced testing infrastructure.

Consequently, 98 percent of licences under the simplified procedure and 85 percent under the normal procedure are cleared within 30 days.

Union Minister Prahlad Joshi affirmed that BIS is consistently advancing in the realm of standardization by formulating and adopting internationally recognized best practices.

He remarked that Indian Standards now extend well beyond conventional sectors, encompassing renewable energy, electric mobility, smart infrastructure, digital technologies, sustainability, green products, and emerging fields such as bomb disposal systems and electric agricultural tractors.

The Union Minister stressed that over the last decade, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, BIS has experienced a transformative shift from regulation to facilitation, and from compliance to a culture emphasizing quality.

Aligned with the government's commitment to ease the business environment, BIS has refined compliance processes, offered fee reductions for MSMEs and laboratories, made in-house laboratory requirements optional for larger industries, and enhanced market surveillance to ensure consumer product quality.

To assist MSMEs, BIS provides discounts on the Annual Minimum Marking Fee—80 percent for Micro, 50 percent for Small, and 20 percent for Medium Enterprises.