BIS to develop International Standard for BPO

Prof. K.V. Thomas minister of consumer affairs, food & public distribution announced that Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has taken initiative for developing an international standard related to IT enabled business process outsourcing. This will ensure that we continue to retain the place of prominence that we have reached in the BPO sector through quality service to international clientele without compromise.

He said that a highly competitive market has no place for an industrial establishment or a service provider that does not assure quality.“It is not just an issue of customer satisfaction. When we look at the larger picture, we know that the survival of Indian economy depends on how strong our business establishments are in terms of the quality of their products and services. Quality must be our national priority”, the minster further added.

BIS has been operating product certification scheme and has granted more than 25000 licenses against 944 Indian Standards. BIS has taken various initiatives to not only reduce the time taken for grant of license, but also to have effective mechanism to check misuse of the standard mark, through search and seizure activities carried out by its Enforcement Department.

It is also operating Foreign Manufacturers’ Certification Scheme and has, so far, granted about 220 licenses for various products like tyres, cement, MCB, Steel, Energy Meter, Plywood, etc. In order to safeguard the interests of common man, BIS is also operating the Hallmarking scheme for gold/silver jewelery/artifacts to certify purity of these precious metals. In a nutshell, the bureau , as the official agency responsible for evolving a national strategy for according recognition to business standards and integrating them with growth and development of production and exports, has been providing a new thrust to harmonious development of standardization and quality control. This also helps best business practices to disseminate.