Question : Sub-standard Quality Products

(a) whether the Government has received any complaints about sale of substandard quality products across the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof indicating the number of cases reported and the action
taken thereon during each of the last three years, State-wise;
(c) the provisions made by the Government to check the sale of substandard quality products;
(d) whether the Government proposes to amend the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act to check sale of/recall such products carrying fake BIS marks; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?

Answer given by the minister

THE MINISTER OF
CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN)

(a) & (b) : Yes, Sir. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) receives complaints regarding quality of ISI marked products. On receipt of such complaints, investigation is carried out at the complainant end as well as at the manufacturer’s end. Based on the outcome, action is taken which inter alia, include stop marking, cancellation/expiry of the Licence and/or replacement of the product to the consumer.

The state-wise list of the complaints received in the last three years is placed at Annexure.

(c) : The BIS Act 2016 provides for action when the standard mark is used in relation to an article or process that does not conform to the relevant Indian Standard.

BIS draws market sample for independent testing to check quality of ISI marked products in the market. Action is taken against the erring manufacturers whose product does not conform to the Indian Standard.

BIS also organizes publicity through mass media. Besides, BIS organizes Consumer Awareness Programmes wherein the consumers are made aware of quality of ISI marked products and also its misuse and colourable imitations.

(d) & (e) : The Govt. of India has already notified the new BIS Act, 2016 which has come into force w.e.f. 12 October 2017.

At present, there is no proposal for amendment in BIS Act, 2016.
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ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) & (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.500 FOR 25-06-2019 REGARDING SUB-STANDARD QUALITY PRODUCTS.
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State Number of complaints received in the last three years regarding substandard ISI Marked products (upto 15 June 2019)
2016-17 2017-18 2018-19
Andaman & Nicobar (UT) - - -
Andhra Pradesh 01 - -
Arunachal Pradesh - - -
Assam - 1 -
Bihar - 3 -
Chandigarh (UT) - 1 1
Chhattishgarh - 1 -
Dadar & Nagar Haveli (UT) - - -
Daman & Diu (UT) - - -
Delhi 4 13 4
Goa - - -
Gujarat 7 4 9
Haryana 3 6 4
Himachal Pradesh 2 1 3
J & K - - -
Jharkhand - - -
Karnataka 2 7 5
Kerala 1 3 6
Lakshadweep (UT) - - -
Madhya Pradesh 1 2 1
Maharashtra 10 16 9
Manipur - - -
Meghalya - - -
Mizoram - - -
Nagaland - - -
Odisha 1 1 -
Puducherry (UT) - - -
Punjab - 3 1
Rajasthan 4 3 1
Sikkim - - -
Tamilnadu 5 4 5
Telangana - - 1
Tripura 1 - -
Uttar Pradesh 5 6 7
Uttrakhand 5 3 3
West Bengal 5 4 5
Total 57 82 65

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