Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (Department of Consumer Affairs) sought public comments/suggestions on draft Consumer Protection (Direct selling) Rules, 2021.  As per the draft rules, direct selling companies are banned from promoting pyramid schemes or money circulation schemes. Direct selling companies have to register themselves under relevant Indian laws and also with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for allotment of a registration number.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), in pursuance of its objectives, plans to bring out ‘Guidance Documents’ on 100 Products under Indian Standards established in the different areas such various Civil Engineering, Electrotechnical, Textiles, Mechanical, Medical Devices, Services, etc. The objective of the Guidance Document is to provide information on applicable requirements for products or services to the stakeholders of BIS, especially the industry, and provide necessary practical guidance to ensure that the products or services so produced comply with relevant Indian Standards and related regulatory requirements.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published a guide on Quality Control Orders (QCOs) in India. This guidance document provides for easy comprehension of Quality Control Orders (QCOs) and explains various requirements specified in QCOs for better understanding towards implementation by the stakeholders.

The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of an MoU between the Permanent Mission of India to the WTO (PMI), Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL) of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, and Centre for Trade and Economic Integration (CTEI) within The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. The MoU will provide valuable academic and research opportunities to the employees of CTIL and the Department of Commerce in the field of international trade and investment law.

“Start-up Accelerators of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development and growth (SAMRIDH)” programme, was launched by Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology so as to create a conducive platform to Indian Software Product star-ups to enhance their   products and securing investments  for  scaling  their  business. The programme is being implemented by MeitY Start-up Hub (MSH).

The India Urban Data Exchange (IUDX), an open-source data exchange platform for Indian Smart Cities, announced the adoption of the Indian standards for Unified Data Exchange specified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the national standards body of India. In doing so, IUDX has become the first software platform in the country to fully adhere to the Architecture and API Specifications set by the standards’ body for data exchange platforms. The Unified Data Exchange standard – IS 18003, is part of a series of 10 indigenous standards developed by BIS Smart Infrastructural Sectional Committee (LITD 28) for Indian Smart Cities to ensure a secure and sustainable digital infrastructure and to facilitate the implementation of various smart city projects. The foundational standard for this series is IS18000 Unified Digital Infrastructure – ICT Reference Architecture (UDI-ICTRA).

The commerce ministry said it unveiled plans for freight smart cities to improve urban freight efficiency and create an opportunity for reduction in the logistics costs. Under the freight smart cities initiative, city-level logistics committees would be formed, and they will have related government departments and agencies at the local and state levels. These would also include the private sector from the logistics services and users of logistics services, the ministry said in a statement.

To enhance the necessary infrastructure to facilitate a rapid transition to electric mobility in the country, the NITI Aayog released a handbook to help state governments and local bodies to frame policies and norms towards setting up charging networks for electric vehicles.
Jointly developed by the NITI Aayog, the Power Ministry, the Department of Science and Technology, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and the World Resources Institute, India, the handbook provides a systematic and a holistic approach for adoption by implementing authorities and other stakeholders involved in planning, authorisation and execution of electric vehicles charging infrastructure.

The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has indigenously developed charger for electric vehicles considering the need to boost up the charging mechanism of electric vehicles in the country announced, Director, ARAI during a press conference. He said that to promote EV, infrastructure for charging is important and since the mobility chargers are imported, the focus of ARAI is to develop chargers indigenously, which will be cost-effective and boost the local economy. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has already set a common standard specification for EV chargers. The charging points will be set up by Bharat Electronics and parts for EV charger systems will be manufactured locally.

Prime Minister launched the Voluntary Vehicle-Fleet Modernization Program (VVMP), also known as the Vehicle Scrapping Policy. The vehicle scrappage policy will bring in investments of around INR 10,000 crore (€1.2 billion) to set up 450-500 Automated Testing Stations (ATS) and 60-70 Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSF) across the country. A single window clearance portal is being developed where the applications for ATS and RVSF will be catered through a single portal within 60 days. A vehicle will be declared as End-of-Life or unfit if it fails the automated fitness test, the allowed retest and reinspection test if ordered by the appellate authorities.