India's Standards Authority Turns 79, Announces New Digital Platform & Reforms

The 79th Foundation Day of the Bureau of Indian Standards was marked on Tuesday with events across the country, with the main programme held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Senior ministers and officials used the occasion to underline the role of standards in manufacturing, governance and consumer protection, as India pushes towards its long-term development goals. Several new digital platforms, education initiatives and academic partnerships were also announced during the event.

Quality, Governance & Ease Of Business

Addressing the gathering as Chief Guest, Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, said quality must become synonymous with ‘Made in India’. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, Joshi said quality in governance, manufacturing and delivery were central to India’s development path. He stressed the need to balance quality regulation with ease of doing business and noted that BIS had evolved from a regulator into a facilitator encouraging standardisation rather than mere compliance.

Addressed at the 79th Foundation Day of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), celebrating a legacy defined by quality, trust and excellence.

Emphasised that quality is a responsibility and a competitive advantage, with standards serving as benchmarks for excellence, consumer… pic.twitter.com/XCMt8cXdCG

— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) January 6, 2026

Union Minister of State BL Verma described the BIS mark as a symbol of safety and public trust, saying the institution’s work had strengthened consumer confidence over decades.

Standards, Digital Push & New Initiatives

BIS Director General Sanjay Garg outlined priorities for the coming year, including integrated standardisation efforts focused on sectors of national importance. He said quality remained a key differentiator between developed and developing economies and added that BIS would work more closely with industry to promote voluntary adoption of standards.

Among the initiatives launched was the beta version of a new BIS Standardisation Portal aimed at digitising the entire standards development process. BIS also announced the “SHINE” scheme to sensitise women’s self-help groups on Indian standards and safety, and made its educational comics on standards available through the Rashtriya e-Pustakalay digital library.

The organisation signed memorandums of understanding with IIIT Dharwad, IIT Palakkad and NIT Arunachal Pradesh to expand the integration of standards into academic curricula. An internal excellence recognition scheme, BIS-SAKSHAM, was also launched.

The event was attended by representatives from industry bodies, government departments and academia, highlighting BIS’s expanding role amid evolving regulatory and technological demands.