India Regulatory News

On 23 March 2023, The Gazette of India published that the Indian Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC) has delayed the implementation of the quality control order (QCO) for ethylene glycol...

On 23 March 2023, The Gazette of India published that the Indian Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC) has delayed the implementation of the quality control order (QCO) for ethylene glycol until 28 June 2023. It’s the second time the QCO for ethylene glycol has been delayed. 

Ethylene glycol is used in manufacturing cosmetics, paints, ballpoint pens, solvents, and hydraulic brake fluids. The substance was among five that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) categorized as specialty chemicals covered by QCOs, originally scheduled to enter into force in December 2021.  

The implementation is delayed in the public interest and to prevent dislocation in manufacturing and trade.  

Due to staff shortages, BIS inspectors have been unable to conduct inspections in overseas manufacturing plants exporting materials into India.  

Manufacturers, importers and the traders are obliged to obtain a quality certificate from the BIS under the QCO rules. This process is to be done every two years and the manufacturers, importers, and traders cannot conduct any business using the substance without QCO certificate. 

On 21 March 2023, a draft proposal was released by India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), that specifies the average lifetime of products under the E-Waste (Management) rules, 2022. On 1 Ap...

On 21 March 2023, a draft proposal was released by India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), that specifies the average lifetime of products under the E-Waste (Management) rules, 2022. On 1 April 2023, this came into force.

E-waste management refers to the process of properly disposing of electronic waste, which includes any electronic device or component that has reached the end of its useful life. Some strategies of E-Waste management are as follows:

• Reduce: The first step in e-waste management is to reduce the amount of electronic waste generated.

• Reuse: Reusing electronic devices and components is another way to reduce the amount of e-waste.

• Recycle: Recycling is the most common and effective method of managing e-waste. It involves extracting useful materials such as metals, glass, and plastics, which can be used to manufacture new products.

• Disposal: If electronic devices cannot be reused or recycled, they should be disposed of properly.

In short, e-waste management is crucial for protecting the environment and human health. Byreducing, reusing, recycling, and properly disposing of electronic devices, we can minimize the negative impact of e-waste and create a sustainable future.

From 2023 onwards, Producers must comply with the E-Waste recovery targets set up by the E-Waste (Management) rules and the average lifetime of products is used to calculate these targets. Below is the recycling rate given which the producers are required to reach:

The average life for 85 categories of EEE items is proposed. A few examples are given below and the complete list can be found here: link: openpdffile.php (cpcb.nic.in)

E-Waste recycling target is calculated as per the rules by multiplying sales volume of EEE item in year (Y) and E-waste recycling rate.

Example: Recycling target for the above EEE item “scanners” in 2023 can be calculated as follows:

1. E-Waste recycling rate in 2023: 60 %;

2. The average life of a scanner: 5 years;

3. The sales volume in 2018 (2023 – 5): 1500 kg;

4. E-Waste recycling target for the scanner: 1500 kg X 60% = 900 kg

On March 6, 2023, the Indian government issued the guidelines 'IS 18149:2023— Transportation of Dangerous Goods—Guidelines', which have been formulated under the Transport Services Section...

On March 6, 2023, the Indian government issued the guidelines 'IS 18149:2023— Transportation of Dangerous Goods—Guidelines', which have been formulated under the Transport Services Sectional Committee, SSD 01, of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). 

The aim of the Guidelines is to standardize the transportation practices and to ensure safety when transporting of dangerous goods and hazardous goods that pose threat to the public safety, properties and environment. The Guidelines provide detailed precautions which are to be taken for packaging, handling and transportation of the hazardous goods. They apply to all stakeholders including vehicle owners, transport agencies, contractors, consignors, consignees, operators, and drivers. 

The BIS has provided guidelines on classification, packaging, labelling and marking, handling, documentation, role of stakeholders, training, transportation, emergency action, and provisions for segregation.  

The dangerous goods referred in the standard include explosives, gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidizing substances and organic peroxides, poisonous and infectious substances, radioactive substances, corrosive substances and other miscellaneous dangerous substances. 

On 31 March 2023, Indian government published a Gazette Notification regarding the BIS requirements and the related implementation dates of six chemicals. According to the published Quality Control Or...

On 31 March 2023, Indian government published a Gazette Notification regarding the BIS requirements and the related implementation dates of six chemicals. According to the published Quality Control Orders (QCO), below chemicals will require BIS certificates from July and October 2023.

For further information on BIS compliance, visit GPCgateway or contact GPC at compliance@gpcregulatory.com

On March 14, 2023, the Indian Chemical Council called for a stakeholder meeting concerning making BIS Standards mandatory for 76 chemicals. These chemicals are listed under international conventions t...

On March 14, 2023, the Indian Chemical Council called for a stakeholder meeting concerning making BIS Standards mandatory for 76 chemicals. These chemicals are listed under international conventions to which India is a signatory or as Hazardous Chemicals notified by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) under the Manufacture, Storage, and Import of Hazardous Chemicals (MSIHC) Rules, 1989.

Since 2018, 63 chemicals have been added to the BIS compulsory list (Scheme I) with individual timelines for implementation. Out of these substances, 25 have been implemented, another 38 chemicals are due to be added during 2023 according to the published Quality Control Orders (QCO).

Industry stakeholders are encouraged to submit their comments even after the meeting. Share your comments directly to the BIS (here) or send them to our BIS team at compliance@gpcregulatory.com

On 30 January 2023 the Ministry of India notified a new amendment regarding the exemptions for solar panels and medical devices.  The notification stated that companies producing solar panels and ...

On 30 January 2023 the Ministry of India notified a new amendment regarding the exemptions for solar panels and medical devices. 

The notification stated that companies producing solar panels and medical devices are exempted from the requirements of the E-waste (management) Amendment Rules 2023 which is to come into force on 1 April 2023.  The E-waste (management) Amendment Rules 2023 mean that the manufacturers, sellers or importers of solar panels and related equipment and medical devices will no longer be required to provide information about the amount of restricted hazardous substance in their products for the user documents. They will however be required to perform conformity assessments, retain that information and submit it to India’s Central Pollution Control Board upon request.   

Furthermore, the following substances will still be allowed for use:  

• Cadmium and lead in solar panels/cells, photovoltaic panels/cells/modules 

• Lead in medical devices (except for implanted and infected products) 

On February 2nd the department of agriculture and farmers welfare of India published a new guideline and regulation on insecticides. This regulation with code name S.O.701(E) is intended to prohibit a...

On February 2nd the department of agriculture and farmers welfare of India published a new guideline and regulation on insecticides. This regulation with code name S.O.701(E) is intended to prohibit and limit the use of certain insecticides. This regulation has been in debate for the past 7 years and will come into force after it is published in the official Gazette.  

Based on this regulation the following changes would come into force regarding the use of insecticides: 

1. Certain insecticides will be prohibited (table 1). 

2. Based on this regulation no individual or company is allowed to import, manufacturer, sell, and distribute the mentioned insecticides 

3. All certifications which are issued for the registration of the mentioned insecticides will be called back by the registration committee.  

4. For those individuals whose registration is void and have not complied to the act, action will be taken after 3 months. 

Table 1. The List of prohibited Insecticides are listed below: 

Furthermore, the department of agriculture and farmers welfare of India has also published a list (table 2) of crops which would be omitted from approved usage of insecticide’s label claim. Base on this law those registrants which have granted a certificate, shall submit their certified along with label and leaflet, in order to delete their label claims.  This information should be submitted to the Secretary, Central Insecticides Board and registration Committee, NH-IV, Faridabad, within six months from date of publication of this Order. 

Table 2