BIS Compliance News · 14 January 2026
Ministry of Heavy Industries withdraws the Machinery and Electrical Equipment Safety (Omnibus Technical Regulation) Order, 2024
The Ministry of Heavy Industries issued S.O. 239(E) on 14 January 2026, published in the Gazette of India on 16 January 2026. It rescinds the Machinery and Electrical Equipment Safety (Omnibus Technical Regulation) Order, 2024 (S.O. 3649(E) of 28 August 2024) with immediate effect, using powers under section 16 of the BIS Act, 2016.
The OTR was a horizontal order. Rather than naming individual products, it would have required BIS certification (under Scheme X) for broad categories of machinery and electrical equipment and their sub-assemblies, 20 categories according to a March 2025 Lok Sabha reply. Its start date had already moved: a June 2025 amendment (S.O. 2579(E)) set 1 September 2026, and the Second Amendment Order of 13 November 2025 (S.O. 5179(E)) replaced that with 'such date as may be notified'.
The OTR never came into force, so no certification was ever required under it, and the rescission ends the requirement altogether. Product-specific QCOs that cover particular machines or components, such as pumps, motors or specific tools, are separate orders and still apply.
Who is affected
Manufacturers and importers of industrial machinery, electrical equipment and their sub-assemblies, and the test labs and buyers that were preparing for OTR certification.
What to do
- Stop any Scheme X (OTR) certification work that was planned only because of this order.
- Check whether a product-specific QCO still covers your machine or component; the rescission does not affect those orders.
- Update customer and import paperwork that referred to OTR compliance.
Source: Ministry of Heavy Industries — Withdrawal of the Machinery and Electrical Equipment Safety (OTR) Order, 2024, S.O. 239(E) · Ministry of Heavy Industries — OTR Second Amendment Order, 2025, S.O. 5179(E)
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BIS Compliance News summarises official notifications in plain language. It is general information, not legal or regulatory advice — always confirm the current text of the order or notice, linked above, before acting.