The center issued notices of non-BIS toy sales to Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal

The center seized 18,600 toys nationwide from retailers including Hamleys and Archies because they lack BIS quality certification, PTI reported.

The Bureau of Indian Standards Meanwhile, the consumer protection regulator CCPA has issued notices to three major e-commerce companies Flipkart, Amazon, and Snapdeal for allegedly violating toy quality control procedures, the report said.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is a national standards body responsible for standardization, labeling, and certification of product quality.

“We received complaints from domestic manufacturers of sale of toys that do not conform with the BIS standard. We conducted 44 raids in the last month and seized 18,600 toys from major retail stores,” BIS Director General Pramod Kumar Tiwari stated in a press conference.

The crackdown took place at retail stores, including Hamleys, Archies, WH Smith, Kids Zone, and Cococart, located at major airports and shopping malls across the country, he said.

Retailers will face legal action under the provisions of the BIS Act, Tiwari said.

Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) chief Nidhi Khare said, “We have also issued notices to Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal for selling toys without BIS quality mark.”

In 2020, the Department of Commerce issued the Toys (Quality Control) Order 2020, effective January 1, 2021.

Toys (Quality Control) Order 2020 requires all toy manufacturers in India to obtain a BIS license. This was done to prevent cheap goods from being sold in the market.