The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) organized an Awareness Programme for MSMEs and Manak Manthan on Wide Circulation draft CHD 19 (34122) WC, the draft Indian standard on School Shoes for Boys and Girls Specification on 27 May 2026 in hybrid mode at Ambur.

The programme saw participation from MSMEs, footwear manufacturers, leather industry representatives, traders, testing laboratories, entrepreneurs and stakeholders from Vellore, Ranipet, Ambur and nearby leather industry clusters.

The programme aimed to create awareness among MSMEs and stakeholders from the footwear and leather industry about Indian Standards, Quality Control Orders (QCOs), conformity assessment and testing requirements.

It also included stakeholder consultations on the draft Indian standard for school shoes for boys and girls.

Shri S. D. Dayanand, Scientist–F / Senior Director & Head, BIS Chennai, delivered the welcome address and explained the programme objectives.

He stressed the importance of standards in ensuring quality, safety and reliability in footwear products, especially school shoes used by children. He said Indian Standards and QCOs help industries improve product quality, strengthen consumer trust and support Indian manufacturers in producing products that match global standards.

The session on the draft Indian standard for school shoes was conducted by Shri Dr. J. Mahesh Kumar, Scientist–C, Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI). He discussed technical and quality requirements related to school shoes for boys and girls and explained the importance of standardization in ensuring durability, comfort, safety and quality consistency.

Shri Pakki Balu, Scientist–C / Deputy Director, BIS Chennai, conducted a session on BIS and e-BIS. He explained BIS activities, online services and digital initiatives under e-BIS. During the MSME awareness session, he spoke about QCOs and Indian Standards applicable to leather and footwear products for both domestic manufacturing and imports.

He also explained BIS support schemes for MSMEs, including 80% concession on annual minimum marking fees for micro enterprises and startup enterprises, 50% for small enterprises, 20% for medium enterprises and an additional 10% concession for women entrepreneur-led enterprises.

Shri Niraj Kumar Mahato, Scientist–C / Deputy Director, BIS Chennai, addressed participants on financial aid for MSME clusters to create testing facilities and explained BIS support for strengthening testing infrastructure and quality assurance capabilities.

The programme ended with an open house and interactive session where participants discussed standards, testing facilities, certification requirements, government schemes and implementation challenges with officials from BIS, CSIR-CLRI, National Test House and District Industries Centre.