Buying something is a practice that we all do almost every day of our life. We purchase or use n number of things every day, from skincare to an automobile, as without us even realizing it; these things have become a crucial part of us, just like food, clothing, and shelter. But not everything that we buy is of good quality and reliable, due to which BIS and ISO came into the picture to ensure that everyone gets the best for the money they invest.
BIS v/s ISO
The main difference between BIS and ISO is that BIS stands for the Bureau of Indian Standards, started its operation on 12 October 2017, and comes under the consumer affairs department. ISO, on the other hand: is a private body established on 23 February 1947 as an organization that provides certificates to companies that ensure global level quality and created by the ISA and UNSCC.
The Bureau of Indian Standards; is the organization formed under the BIS Act 2016 for the collaborative and harmonious development of standardization activities. This organization provides benefits of traceability and tangibility to the economy in many ways, like by giving safe and excellent quality items, reducing risk to health, controlling the proliferation of things, etc.
ISO is an independent and private international organization having 167 national standard bodies membership. All these bodies work together; share their knowledge to form a market based on consensus and relevant to the international standards that promote and encourage new ideas or innovations and give solutions to problems on a global level.
Comparison Table Between BIS and ISO
| Parameters of Comparison | BIS | ISO |
| Stands for | Bureau of Indian Standards. | International Organisation for Standardization. |
| Headquarters | New Delhi | Switzerland |
| Chairperson | Shri Pramod Kumar Tiwari | Ulrika Francke |
| Standards | Over 20,000 standards. | Over 24194 international standards. |
| Operation | 12 October 2017. | 23 February 1947. |
What is BIS?
The Bureau of Indian Standards: is a governmental body that creates standards for quality and safety and comes under the current affairs department. BIS is an organization established under but; was founded long back in 1986. Sri Pramod Kumar Tiwari is the minister in charge that looks after all the operations of BIS and is also an ex-officio president of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
This organization has more than five hundred certified scientists and members of the technical committees, etc. Since 2017, BIS has formed more than 20,000 standards for many Indian industries such as manufacturers, importers, and international producers. This organization also provides certifications to management systems along with all these standards. The headquarter of BIS is in Manak Bhawan, New Delhi.
The principal function of this organization is to harmonize the growth of activities; that is approved by checking and ensuring the quality and safety of every item and providing certification of quality and safety for it. The formation of BIS was the result of an act of parliament on 1 April 1987, with a vision to take over the operations and functions of ISI. This organization has 25 members: who represent the central and state government, Parliament members, members of scientific and research institutes, etc.
What is ISO?
ISO is an independent organization that stands for the International Organization for Standardization, which has 165 countries as their members of this organization. ISO is stated: as the biggest organization in the world that is responsible for developing voluntary global standards and making the global trader easier by offering common standards to all the nations. ISO has set more than twenty thousand standards from the agricultural field to medicine, technology, and other sectors.
The standards are created and used as an aid to create goods that are safer, healthier, and are reliable. These standards by ISO also help businesses by increasing the productivity rate and decreasing errors and waste in any. By using these standards, the company ensures its customers that their products or services have been globally tested for quality.
Originally, ISO was known as ISA: International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations. During that time, World War II was actively occurring, which led to the suspension of ISA. In 1946, among the 25 nations, ISA and UNSCC were appointed as delegates. These organizations met in the UK to form a new standards developing body that would meet the global needs. Hence: the International Organization for Standardization came into being.
Main Differences Between BIS and ISO
- BIS is a standard developing body that looks after the quality of goods to match with the Indian Standards. On the other hand, ISO looks after all the products and services and ensures that they meet global standards.
- The headquarter of BIS is situated in Manak Bhawan which is in New Delhi, whereas the headquarter of ISO is in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Shri Pramod Kumar Tiwari is the minister in charge and the ex-officio president of BIS. On the other hand, Ulrika Francke is the president of ISO.
- The Bureau of Indian Standards has created over 20,000 standards, whereas the International Organization for Standardization has created more than 24,000 standards.
- BIS was formed in the year 1986 but the operation began on 12 October 2017, whereas ISO was created on 23 February in the year 1947.
Conclusion
In conclusion, BIS and ISO are both organizations that are responsible for creating standards that are approved by national and global levels. BIS is the bureau of Indian Standards that was was initially known as ISI or Indian Standards Institute that started its activity in 2017 though it was created in 1986.
On the other hand, ISO is the International Organization for Standardization that was founded by the ISA and UNSCC together in 1947. The purpose of both organizations is the same as they both work to ensure that people all around the world are provided with good quality products and services so that they are healthy and safe. They provide certificates to all irrespective of their field when that company qualifies for their quality check.
References
- https://bis.gov.in/other/WRD03(456).pdf
- https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203126929-15/international-organization-standardization-stepan-wood