Act

Nepal Standard (Certification-Mark) Act, 2037

All laws Acts

Type
Act
Year
२०३७ BS
Status
In force
Category
खण्ड ८: उद्योग, वाणिज्य तथा आपूर्ति · Volume 8: Industry, Commerce and Supply
Official text
Official page Official text (PDF)
English translation
Official English translation archived copy: the original page is no longer online
Includes amendments up to: 2048 BS. Translations may not include later amendments. The Nepali text is the authoritative law.

Analysis drawn from official reports, court rulings and published research, each cited. Figures are being double-checked against the source documents; corrections are welcome.

What does it do?

  • The Nepal Council for Standards, formed by the government, sets, amends and cancels quality standards for goods, processes and services, recognises domestic or foreign standards and testing laboratories, and sets the design and fees for certificates and the standard (NS) mark. A Nepal Standards Office, set up by the government, carries out the Act.नेपाल सरकारले गठन गर्ने नेपाल गुणस्तर परिषद्ले वस्तु, प्रक्रिया र सेवाको गुणस्तर निर्धारण, संशोधन वा रद्द गर्छ, स्वदेशी वा विदेशी गुणस्तर तथा परीक्षण प्रयोगशालालाई मान्यता दिन्छ, र गुणस्तर प्रमाणपत्र तथा प्रमाण–चिह्नको ढाँचा र दस्तुर तोक्छ। ऐन कार्यान्वयनका लागि सरकारले नेपाल गुणस्तर कार्यालय स्थापना गर्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated text Sections 3–5, PDF pp. 2–3
  • A producer, distributor or service provider needs a licence to put the standard mark on a product or process, and needs approval to advertise that a product meets Nepal Standards; misleading look-alike marks are banned. For public health and safety, the government can, by Gazette notice, make a standard mandatory for any product other than drugs and food (which have their own laws), and can set compulsory standards for imports and exports.कुनै वस्तु वा प्रक्रियामा प्रमाण–चिह्न लगाउन उत्पादक, वितरक वा सेवा प्रदायकले इजाजतपत्र लिनुपर्छ, र कुनै वस्तु नेपाल गुणस्तरअनुरूप छ भनी प्रचार गर्न स्वीकृति लिनुपर्छ; प्रमाण–चिह्नसँग भ्रम पर्ने चिह्न प्रयोग गर्न पाइँदैन। जनस्वास्थ्य र सुरक्षाका लागि औषधि र खाद्य पदार्थ (जसका छुट्टै ऐन छन्) बाहेकका वस्तु वा प्रक्रियामा सरकारले राजपत्रमा सूचना प्रकाशित गरी गुणस्तर अनिवार्य गर्न र निकासी–पैठारी हुने वस्तुको गुणस्तर तोक्न सक्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated text Sections 7–11, PDF pp. 4–6
  • Inspectors appointed by the Office may check at any time whether licence and certificate holders follow the conditions. Misusing the mark is punishable by up to Rs 3,000 or six months in prison or both; producing or selling a product without a mandatory standard, up to Rs 5,000 or one year or both; and importing or exporting substandard regulated goods, up to Rs 3,000 or six months. The goods involved are confiscated, and the Government of Nepal is the plaintiff.कार्यालयले नियुक्त गरेका निरीक्षकले इजाजतपत्र र प्रमाणपत्र लिनेले शर्त पालना गरे–नगरेको जुनसुकै बेला जाँच गर्न सक्छन्। प्रमाण–चिह्नको दुरुपयोगमा तीन हजार रुपैयाँसम्म जरिवाना वा छ महिनासम्म कैद वा दुवै; अनिवार्य गुणस्तर नभएको वस्तु प्रयोगमा ल्याएमा पाँच हजार रुपैयाँसम्म जरिवाना वा एक वर्षसम्म कैद वा दुवै; र तोकिएको गुणस्तर नभएको वस्तु निकासी–पैठारी गरेमा तीन हजार रुपैयाँसम्म जरिवाना वा छ महिनासम्म कैद वा दुवै सजाय हुन्छ। सम्बन्धित वस्तु जफत हुन्छ र मुद्दामा नेपाल सरकार वादी हुन्छ। Nepal Law Commission (lawcommission.gov.np), consolidated text Sections 12–14, PDF pp. 6–7

Gaps, loopholes and improvement ideas

  • Not enforced The Auditor General noted limited follow-up after quality inspections. With 17 products on the mandatory list, the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology inspected 35,613 firms in FY 2081/82 and found problems in 31,076 of them; the Auditor General said it must monitor whether standards are met. In FY 2080/81 it inspected 3,829 firms but did not report the problems found, fines imposed or corrections made.गुणस्तर निरीक्षणपछिको कारबाही सीमित रहेको महालेखापरीक्षकले उल्लेख गरेको छ। १७ वस्तु अनिवार्य सूचीमा राखिएको अवस्थामा नेपाल गुणस्तर तथा नापतौल विभागले आर्थिक वर्ष २०८१/८२ मा ३५,६१३ फर्मको निरीक्षण गर्दा ३१,०७६ फर्ममा कैफियत भेट्टाएको छ; मापदण्ड पूरा गरे–नगरेको अनुगमन गरी गुणस्तर कायम गर्नुपर्ने महालेखापरीक्षकको सुझाव छ। २०८०/८१ मा ३,८२९ फर्मको निरीक्षण गरे पनि देखिएका कैफियत, गरिएको जरिवाना र भएको सुधार प्रतिवेदनमा समावेश गरिएको थिएन। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Office of the Auditor General, Nepal OAG 63rd report, Industry chapter para 25 (PDF pp. 220–221, printed pp. 188–189); OAG 62nd report, para 25 (PDF pp. 224–225, printed pp. 194–195); Act Section 12, PDF p. 6
  • Loophole A 2048 decision of the Nepal Council for Standards lets inspectors who go on consignment certification and pre-export or pre-import inspections at an industry's request receive daily and travel allowances from that industry. The Auditor General found no legal basis for this, noted that no record was kept of the money taken from service users, and said the practice should be reviewed.उद्योगको अनुरोधमा खेप प्रमाणीकरण तथा निकासी वा पैठारीपूर्व निरीक्षणमा जाने प्राविधिक अधिकृतले सम्बन्धित उद्योगबाटै दैनिक तथा भ्रमण भत्ता पाउने गरी नेपाल गुणस्तर परिषद्ले २०४८ मा गरेको निर्णयको कानूनी आधार नदेखिएको, सेवाग्राहीबाट यसरी लिएको रकमको अभिलेख नराखिएको र यो अभ्यास पुनरावलोकन गर्नुपर्ने महालेखापरीक्षकले उल्लेख गरेको छ। Office of the Auditor General, Nepal OAG 62nd report, Industry chapter para 26 (PDF p. 225, printed p. 195)

Ideas to fix it

  • Regularly monitor whether certified industries meet the standards, and record problems found, fines and corrections.गुणस्तर चिह्न पाएका उद्योगले मापदण्ड पूरा गरे–नगरेको नियमित अनुगमन गरी कैफियत, जरिवाना र सुधारको विवरण राख्ने। Proposed by: Office of the Auditor General (62nd and 63rd Annual Reports) Office of the Auditor General, Nepal · Office of the Auditor General, Nepal

Where does it conflict with other laws?

No conflict with another law is documented in the sources we have reviewed so far.

Public approval (अनुमोदन)

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