MeitY (Indian government body in charge of BIS surveillance requirements) recently announced that there will be a change in the market surveillance procedure for products registered under the Compulsory Registration Scheme. MeitY has entrusted STPI (Software Technology Parks of India) with the administration of the new surveillance procedure.
This includes activities such as procurement, storage, delivery of test samples and collection of associated fees. The new policy requires that funds for surveillance be deposited in advance to fund surveillance activities by STPI. This proposed change requires manufacturers to submit a list of all products registered under BIS with the corresponding retail value of each model. This list will be required to be submitted to STPI.
Once STPI has reviewed the list of products, they will calculate the amount required to be deposited into the surveillance account. This amount will be based on the following factors:
- Maximum retail price of sample(s). For products that are made to order/custom, the manufacturer will not be required to deposit the cost of sample(s), as it will continue to be procured from the manufacturer directly
- Test charges
- Cost of transportation and packaging (25% of test charge)
- Cost of storage (25% of test charge)
The charges listed above are similar to the current costs incurred for BIS surveillance. The main difference is that the funds are now required to be submitted prior to surveillance activities. Once the amount has been determined, it can be deposited either by the manufacturer or the Authorized Indian Representative (AIR) into the STPI account.
As per current information on the MeitY website, the deadline for submitting surveillance funds as described above is January 31st, 2019. This deadline may be pushed back as the information has only recently become available.
We recommend that manufacturer’s start putting together the required documentation in preparation of submittal to STPI. This will assist in expediting the process once the dust has settled. Even though an extension is possible, the changes could still be implemented rather abruptly. As documentation requirements will differ depending on market accessibility of registered products, please contact us for more information on producing required documentation for your product type.
For more detailed information regarding the above important changes, please contact G&M Compliance, Inc. or call us at 714-628-1020.
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