Puducherry: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) conducted its annual convention for Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) partner institutions in Puducherry on April 24-25, bringing together 30 delegates from 15 partner institutes.

The event aimed to deepen BIS's collaboration with academia and foster active engagement in the national and international standardization landscape.

The convention was inaugurated by BIS Director General Shri Pramod Kumar Tiwari (IAS), with Shri Rajeev Sharma, Deputy Director General (Standardization), and Shri Praveen Khanna, Deputy Director General (Southern Region) also present. In his address, Shri Sharma emphasized the growing role of academic institutions in India's quality ecosystem and called for enhanced participation in developing national standards aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Highlighting India's rise as a global economic power, Shri Sharma urged institutions to nominate top experts to represent Indian perspectives in international standard-setting forums. He called for reflection on the progress of MoU partnerships and encouraged interactive deliberations.

Shri Tiwari, in his keynote address, reflected on BIS's expanding academic outreach, now involving nearly 100 partner institutes. Stressing the services sector's contribution to the economy, he advocated for integrating Indian Standards into academic curricula and fostering indigenous standard development with academic and industry collaboration.

The technical sessions covered management systems and the services sector. Smt. Nitasha Doger highlighted how standards enhance business sustainability and compliance, while Shri S.K. Kanojia emphasized the rising academic contribution to BIS committees and R&D projects.

The event concluded with appreciation from partner institutions for BIS's proactive role in academic engagement. Participants called for awareness materials for management students, curriculum integration, and case studies on standard-setting processes, reaffirming their commitment to promoting a culture of standardization in academia.