Registration for 15 electronic products has been made mandatory by the government to ensure safety standards. The products include video games, laptops and microwave ovens, plasma/LCD/LED television, printers and scanners, electronic musical system among other things.
"The department of electronics and IT (DeitY) has issued the electronics and information technology goods (requirements for compulsory registration) order, 2012, bringing into force a scheme for mandatory regime of registration of identified 15 electronic products so that these products meet specified safety standards," said an official statement.
The scheme provides for self-registration of specified electronic goods as it is against licensing.
"The scheme provides that no person shall by himself or through any person on his behalf manufacture or store for sale, import, sell or distribute specified electronic goods which do not conform to the specified standard and do not bear the words "Self declaration conforming to IS (Indian Standard) on such goods after obtaining registration from the BIS," the statement said.
"Substandard or defective goods which do not conform to the specified standard will be deformed beyond use by the manufacturer and disposed of as scrap," it added.
However, the order does not apply to electronic goods meant for export.
As per the scheme, electronic goods having different sizes, ratings, varieties etc shall be grouped and a series of such products will be granted approval for a series of products based on testing of representative models.
DeitY will approve such series of products.  Hence, there will be no need to register and approve every single model which falls in the same series.
Under the scheme, DeitY and the BIS will randomly select samples of registered electronic goods to ascertain whether these goods conform to the Specified Standard.
The electronic goods have to be tested by BIS approved testing laboratories.
The order will come will come into effect from March 7.