BIS Hyderabad raids sanitary pads centre in Kushaiguda: 30,000 uncertified products seized

Hyderabad: As many as 30,000 sanitary pads over 7,000 label covers ready for sale were seized from a centre supplying sanitary pads without the mandatory ISI mark. The officials from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Hyderabad branch, conducted the raid on Monday at a facility in Kushaiguda.

Importance of BIS certification

To protect women’s health, the Government of India has made BIS certification mandatory for sanitary pads under IS 5405:2019 standards, through a Quality Control Order published in the Gazette. It is a punishable offense to manufacture, sell or store such products without BIS certification.

Acting on information about uncertified sanitary napkins being stocked on a large scale at the location, the BIS team initiated the raid, said PV Srikanth, head and director of the BIS Hyderabad branch. The raids were conducted under the supervision of joint directors Savita and Rakesh Tanneeru.

Penalty for selling uncertified products

Under Section 17 of the BIS Act, 2016, producing, selling, or storing products covered under mandatory BIS certification without ISI or registration marks can attract strict penalties.

The punishment includes two years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh for the first offence, and up to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakhs for the second offence, with subsequent violations carrying even harsher penalties up to ten times.

So far, the Government of India has made 679 products mandatory under various quality control orders. Any violations will be dealt with strictly, reiterated Srikanth.