Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Ditribution, said that Department of Consumer Affairs is working on bringing Hallmarking regulations under the new BIS Act 2016. Shri Paswan commended the revision of the standards on gold jewellery with only three categories i.e, 14, 18 and 22 Karats/Carats under Hallmarking. Shri Ram Vilas Paswan stated it while inaugurating the seminar on “Standards Make Cities Smarter” organized by Bureau of Indian Standard on the occasion of 48th World Standards Day in New Delhi, today. Shri Paswan laid special emphasis on the consumer protection that would get enhanced through new Consumer Protection and the BIS Act.Shri Ram Vilas Paswan released a pre standardization report regarding Unified, Secure & Resilient ICT Backbone for Smart Cities. Shri Paswan stated that building a smart city is a highly complex task having its own challenges and standards are the only common denominator that can simplify this task. National Standards make the smart cities work safely and smoothly.
Besides, it provides important guidance for all aspects of city life, including energy-efficient buildings, intelligent transportation, and improved waste management, thereby builds sustainable communities.Shri C.R. Chaudhary, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution emphasised on the importance of standards for international cooperation. He stated, that standards provide practical tools for tackling many of today’s global challenges, ranging from managing resources to improving the safety and quality of the life. Shri Chaudhary appreciated the active involvement of BIS in regional standardization work for developing common standards to facilitate trade.Earlier, Shri Avinash K Shrivastava, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, in his keynote address stressed on the changing scenario and the role Bureau of Indian Standards is playing in the national and international arena.The theme for this year’s World Standards Day “Standards Make Cities Smarter” was chosen collectively by International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU).