The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has taken action against many companies, including e-commerce companies Flipkart and Amazon, at different places in the country. BIS raided several warehouses of these companies in Lucknow, Gurugram, and Delhi for not following the standards set by the government. BIS searched Amazon’s warehouse in Lucknow on 7 March 2025, in which 215 toys and 24 hand blenders were seized. All these goods did not have the certificate set by BIS. The Ministry of Food and Public Distribution gave this information on Saturday (15 February 2025).Amazon’s warehouse was searched in Gurugram last month (February 2025), in which 58 aluminum foils, 34 metal water bottles, 25 toys, 20 hand blenders, 7 PVC cables, 2 food mixers, and 1 speaker were seized. All these were found to be non-certified. Similarly, during a search of Flipkart’s warehouse in Gurugram operated by Instacart Services Private Limited, BIS seized 534 stainless steel bottles (vacuum insulated), 134 toys, and 41 speakers, which were not certified.The non-certified products found on both Amazon and Flipkart during BIS’s investigation belonged to Techvision International Private Limited. Acting on this clue, BIS raided two different locations of Techvision International in Delhi. In which about 7,000 electric water heaters, 4,000 electric food mixers, 95 electric room heaters, and 40 gas stoves were seized. The non-certified products seized are of brands like DigiSmart, Activa, Inalsa, Cello Swift, Butterfly, etc.Legal action was taken against these entities under the BIS Act, 2016. BIS has already registered two cases against Techvision International Private Limited. BIS actively monitors the market to ensure that quality standards are followed on e-commerce platforms as well as in the market.The products under the purview of market surveillance include commonly used consumer goods such as domestic pressure cookers, handheld blenders, food mixers, electric irons, room heaters, PVC cables, gas stoves, toys, two-wheeler helmets, switches, sockets, and aluminum foil for food packaging.In the investigation, BIS has found that many non-certified products are being sold on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra, and BigBasket, while the BIS certificate has been made mandatory for these products. Non-certified products include products that do not have an ISI mark or have an ISI mark with an invalid license number (CM/L number).A minimum penalty of Rs 2 lakh can be imposed under the BIS Act, which can extend up to 10 times the price of non-standard products sold. There is also a provision of up to 2 years in jail in serious cases. BIS has sent notices to big online companies like Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra, and Big Basket and has given strict instructions to list only BIS-certified products for sale.According to BIS, many non-certified products are being sold without ISI marks or with fake ISI numbers, which poses a serious threat to the safety of customers. Such products do not undergo independent third-party testing, raising questions about their quality and safety.BIS has appealed to customers to verify the certification of any product using the BIS Care App and register complaints of non-standard products.BIS has made it clear that this campaign will continue further so that the interests of consumers can be protected and safety standards are followed in the market. This step of the government can prove to be important in curbing the sale of adulterated and substandard products in the online market.Talking on this topic Riya Raj, a professional in the Department of chemical engineering said “The action of BIS proves that the government is serious about consumer safety and wants to ensure the availability of quality products in the market. The sale of non-certified products on e-commerce platforms like Flipkart, Amazon can pose a serious threat to the health and safety of people. This initiative of BIS will ensure that only certified and safe products come to the market, which will increase the confidence of consumers and the sale of substandard goods can be controlled.”
Reporting to true to life news.