From September 1, Imported Toys to be Let in only after Quality Testing, says Paswan

Ram Vilas Paswan said officers of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will be posted at seven Indian ports and will “take samples and test the product for quality”.

Imported toys will be allowed in the country only after they comply with a quality control order that comes into force from September 1, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said on Friday.

Addressing the media through video conference, Paswan said officers of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will be posted at seven Indian ports and will “take samples and test the product for quality”. The Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020, issued by the Commerce Ministry, will be applicable for both foreign and domestic toy manufacturers. BIS had asked toy manufacturers to get licence for this.

Paswan said mandatory standards are being finalised for many other sectors as well. BIS D-G Pramod Tiwari said there are about 268 mandatory standards in the country and many are in the pipeline. In reply to a question, Tiwari said BIS staff at major ports will take samples and test the product at the port itself. But shipments will not be stopped at port, and there will be two levels of quality checks, he said: first, a physical inspection of a factory location from where the imported product is sourced abroad, and checking again at ports.