BIS is standardising USB Type-C Charging Ports for devices like smartphones

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has defined standards for the USB Type-C charging port, now that the government is all set to introduce common charging ports for wearable electronic devices and mobiles. Department of Consumer Affairs is mandating common charging ports in order to make things more convenient for users and to reduce e-waste. As a result of this, one will see the same charging ports for tablets, smartphones, and electronic wearables. 

The government is mandating common chargers

Speaking about the new mandate, the Consumer Affairs Secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh, said to PTI “In the last meeting, a broad consensus had emerged among stakeholders on the adoption of USB Type – C as a charging port for, smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. The BIS has notified standards for Type C charger,” 

He also confirmed that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur is working on studying the feasibility of the single charging port, and will be supporting a report to the government. 

Why is the government mandating the common chargers?

Speaking about the need to mandate the common chargers, the Secretary said, “We have to align with the European Union (EU) timeline i.e. 2024 because the mobile and electronics makers have a global supply chain and they don’t supply to India alone.”

This is a significant step towards the LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) mission which calls for ‘mindful and deliberate utilization’ by people worldwide instead of ‘mindful and wasteful consumption’ and was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP-26.