India has stepped up vigil against substandard toys being sold in the country. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) said it has raided over 40 popular toy outlets for selling non-BIS-compliant toys. Several e-commerce companies, including Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal, were also violating these norms. Chairman Nidhi Khare told CNBC-TV18 that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) had issued notices to Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal for violating norms.

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Toys being sold in India will now need to carry BIS certification and ISI mark mandatorily. According to BIS rules, toys are one of the goods that come under the Mandatory Certification Scheme by BIS. Such items must carry an ISI mark for manufacturing, sale, import or distribution in India. The scheme came into effect in January 2021 since BIS issued its Quality Control Order (QCO).

Also read: Bureau of Indian Standards office raids sellers of substandard Chinese toys

Khare told CNBC-TV18 non-BIS compliant toys were being sold by all three e-commerce players and they have been directed not to sell them further.

BIS Director-General Pramod Kumar Tiwari told CNBC-TV18 that the BIS seized over 18,600 toys at 44 locations over the past month. Most of the seized toys were imported from China, he said.

He said search operations took place at several toy outlets, including Hamleys, Archies, WH Smith, Kids Zone, and Cococart located at major airports and malls across the country.

Outlets at Delhi airport, Noida, Ranchi, Chandigarh, Kolkata and more were raided, he said.

Confirming the receipt of the notice, a Flipkart spokesperson said, "Flipkart is a marketplace committed to democratising eCommerce for all in India and enabling lakhs of small businesses connect with customers through technology. As part of our 'customer first' philosophy, maintaining the quality of products that sellers offer on our marketplace has always been the top focus area. We remain committed to ensuring the highest quality of products sold on the platform. We have received notification from CCPA and will respond appropriately."

Disclosure: RIL, the promoter of Reliance Retail that owns Hamleys, also controls Network18, the parent company of CNBCTV18.com.

First Published:Jan 12, 2023 3:08 PM IST