Early Times Report POONCH, Aug 10: Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Jammu & Kashmir Branch Office (JKBO), organized a General Awareness Programme for the officials of the Municipal Council Poonch and common consumers on 10 August 2026 at the Meeting Hall of Municipal Council Poonch. More than 60 officials and consumers participated in the programme. Sunil Sharma, Former Chairman, Municipal Council Poonch, was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The programme was attended by Sh. Ravinder Singh, Senior Assistant; Sh. Amarpal Singh, Khilafwarzi Inspector and Sh. Ramandeep Singh, Senior Swachhata Executive, along with other officials of the Municipal Council. During the programme, Sh. Ashish Kumar Dwivedi, Standard Promotion Officer (SPO), BIS-JKBO, delivered a comprehensive presentation on the activities and initiatives of the Bureau of Indian Standards. He explained that BIS plays a vital role in ensuring the quality, safety, and reliability of products through its certification and standardization systems, thereby providing independent third-party assurance to consumers. He specifically emphasized the role of the Municipal Council in promoting quality-conscious public procurement. He stated that Municipal Council Poonch should ensure that only BIS-certified and ISI-marked products are used in all procurement and tendering processes related to municipal works, including construction materials, electrical items, water supply components, sanitation equipment, and other products covered under BIS certification. He pointed out that the use of ISI-marked products in public works not only ensures compliance with Indian Standards but also enhances the quality, durability, safety, and performance of infrastructure and public assets. He urged municipal officials to incorporate BIS certification requirements in tender documents and procurement specifications so that certified products are mandatorily used in Municipal Council projects and development works. Dwivedi also provided detailed information on the significance of the ISI Mark, the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS), Hallmarking of gold jewellery, and the BIS Care App, and encouraged participants to verify the authenticity of certified products before purchase or use. Paramjit Singh, Resource Person (RP), BIS, gave a live demonstration of the BIS Care App and explained how consumers can verify the authenticity of ISI-marked and Hallmarked products, lodge complaints, and access various BIS services through the mobile application. |