Indian MSMEs urge government to postpone BIS

As already reported in other editions of Mundolatas, the Indian government, through its Ministry of Steel, had issued an order on July 17, 2020, pushing for mandatory BIS certification units for the main input material, such as tinplate, tin-free steel. It had also imposed restrictions on various steel products like easy-open ends, peeling ends, etc.

With each passing day, not only have the international manufacturers and suppliers come out against BIS with the result that they themselves have taken their own action causing shortages in the country, but it is now the MSMEs in the manufacture of metal containers in India who have urged the government to withdraw the quality control order (QCO) of steel and steel products for now, issued by the Ministry of Steel to impose mandatory BIS certification.

The Metal Container Manufacturers Association (MCMA) has asked the government to postpone the notification until March 31, 2022. Most of the MSMEs in metal container manufacturing are involved in manufacturing products using tinplate steel, a sheet of steel coated with a thin layer of tin which has a specialized use in products like cans, hair clips, pens.

“The problem is about the gap between demand and supply. The gap also includes the material used for non-critical products that have been filled with imports. While we are not against the BIS order, but where will we get the material from? Foreign companies, which have applied for BIS registration since July 2020, did not see any movement from BIS because of Covid. Normally, for approval of a plant, someone from BIS has to physically inspect the plant to check that the standards are met and, after that, it is approved. This process takes 7 to 10 months. We are requesting the government for the order till March 31, 2022 so that the supply line of companies is not affected,” Sanjay Bhatia, chairman of MCMA told Financial Express Online.