Consumer Affairs Ministry and BIS are building SMART, machine-readable standards using AI to cut compliance friction. BIS is repositioning from regulator to facilitator, opening space for private testing infrastructure as quality becomes a pillar of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

BL · Consumer & Economy · 6/4/2026, 9:24:13 AM

Bureau of Indian Standards is evaluating frameworks for compulsory silver hallmarking, currently voluntary with HUID since September 2025. Hallmarked articles climbed to 59 lakh in FY26 from 32 lakh in FY25 across 230 recognised assaying centres, signalling regulatory tightening ahead for jewellery retailers.

ET Small Business · 6/4/2026, 8:52:17 AM

Apparel, textiles, leather, footwear and gems & jewellery — currently facing 10-14% EU duties — stand to gain most from the India-EU FTA, expected to take effect in 2026. Indian exporters must meet stringent EU quality standards, though trade-restrictive measures can be challenged.

The Hindu BusinessLine · 5/19/2026, 1:24:16 PM

SEBI is designing a bond distributor framework modelled on the 340,000-strong MF distributor network to deepen retail participation in debt, even as debt funds (₹19.31 tn AUM) lag equity (₹35.8 tn) partly due to slab-rate taxation versus equity's 12.5% LTCG.

Mint · Markets · 5/14/2026, 1:15:24 AM

SEBI is evaluating a new specialised distributor category to deepen India's debt markets and boost retail participation. WTM Amarjeet Singh cited mutual fund success as a template, noting distributor ranks grew from 2.4 lakh to 3.4 lakh in five years, and pushed for scaling micro-SIPs.

NDTV Profit · 5/13/2026, 6:43:10 PM