28 MAY , Delhi: The four-day 44th ISO COPOLCO Plenary hosted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) from 23-26 May, 2023 concluded at New Delhi on 26.05.2023 with the keynote address from Ms. Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution in the presence of Ms. Mamta Upadhyay Lal, Additional Director General, BIS, Prof. B. Metri, Director, Indian Institute of Management, Nagpur and Chairman, Management & Systems Division Council, BIS and Ms. Sadie Dainton, Chairperson, COPOLCO and other senior officials and representatives of ISO and member countries. Senior officials, scientists and staff of BIS also marked their presence during the event.During her keynote address, Ms. Nidhi Khare mentioned, “We have made significant improvement in the area of consumer protection during the recent years. Also, robust consumer grievance redressal systems have been developed to help fast-tracking resolution of such matters.” While stressing the need to keep sustainability as a core consideration in standardisation, she said, “Manufacturers should ensure that products are designed for sustainability parameters, they can also be partners in the process of reducing e-waste.” Ms. Mamta Upadhyay Lal highlighted the activities and initiatives of BIS. She mentioned, “BIS has taken up a wide range of initiatives, such as Manak Manthan, Quality Connect etc. which are aimed at enhancing consumer engagement in standardisation.”
