A Quality Control Order for toys was issued on February 25, 2020, through which toys have been brought under compulsory certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards with effect from January 1, 2021
New Delhi: Over 41,000 sub-standard toys have been seized by enforcement agencies since the implementation of mandatory quality certification, with effect from January 2021, the government said on Thursday.
In an official statement, Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry said that the government has taken proactive steps to restrict the import of sub-standard and unsafe toys and promote the domestic toy industry.
A Quality Control Order (QCO) for toys was issued on February 25, 2020, through which toys have been brought under compulsory certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) with effect from January 1, 2021.
As per the order, every toy in the market must conform to the requirements of relevant Indian standards and bear the Standard Mark under a license from BIS as per Scheme-I of BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018.
This order is applicable to domestic manufacturers as well as foreign manufacturers who intend to export their toys to India.
“After implementation of QCO for the toys, search and seizures were conducted by BIS and 41,106 quantity was seized till March 16, 2023, across the country, including major airports, ports and shopping malls,” the statement said.
Till date, BIS has granted 1,114 licenses to domestic toy manufacturing units and 35 licenses to foreign toy manufacturing units.
The sanction of BIS certification for the products is an ongoing process and the license is being granted by BIS after following due procedure within the prescribed time.
“As a result of various steps taken by the government, the volume of import of toys into the Indian market has shown a consistently decreasing trend. The import of toys to India has decreased from USD 332.55 million in 2014-15 to USD 109.72 million in 2021-22, a decrease of approximately 67 per cent,” the statement said.
