Previous Year Question

Statement 1 is correct.

Through the Pneumatic Tyres and Tubes for Automotive Vehicles (Quality Control) Order, 2009, the Government of India made conformity with the relevant Indian Standards and use of the BIS Standard Mark mandatory for specified categories of automotive pneumatic tyres and tubes.

The Quality Control Order was notified to take effect 180 days after its publication in the Official Gazette on 19 November 2009.

Important Indian Standards include:

• IS 15627: Pneumatic tyres for two- and three-wheeled motor vehicles.

• IS 15633: Diagonal and radial-ply pneumatic tyres for passenger-car vehicles.

• IS 15636: Pneumatic tyres for commercial vehicles.

• IS 13098: Tubes for pneumatic tyres used in automotive vehicles.

Mandatory conformity requirements seek to reduce road-safety risks caused by substandard tyres and tubes. The standards cover parameters such as tyre dimensions, endurance, strength, high-speed performance and other safety characteristics.

Statement 2 is incorrect.

AGMARK certification is not issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization. It is an Indian government certification system administered by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection—DMI, functioning under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

The term AGMARK is derived from:

• AG—Agricultural

• MARK—Mark

Its statutory basis is the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937. Under this framework, grade standards are prescribed for agricultural commodities, and certification is granted to products conforming to the notified quality requirements.

AGMARK grading may examine agricultural and allied products on the basis of:

• Purity and quality.

• Moisture content.

• Absence of adulteration.

• Size, colour and maturity.

• Permissible limits of foreign matter.

• Grade designation and packaging requirements.

FAO is a specialised agency of the United Nations working on global food security, nutrition and agricultural development. It does not issue India’s AGMARK certification.

Difference between BIS, AGMARK and FSSAI

• BIS Standard Mark: Certifies conformity of industrial and consumer products with prescribed Indian Standards.

• AGMARK: Relates to the grading and quality certification of agricultural produce.

• FSSAI licence/mark: Relates primarily to food-business regulation and food-safety compliance.

AGMARK should therefore not be confused with FSSAI registration. AGMARK primarily concerns the grade-quality of agricultural produce, whereas FSSAI regulates food safety.

Current position (2026): The relevant BIS standards and notified Quality Control requirements continue to apply to automotive tyres and tubes. Standards may be revised, requiring compliance with the latest applicable IS specification, but the basic position remains that notified automotive tyres and tubes require BIS conformity.

The application and processing system for AGMARK certification is administered online by DMI. It remains an Indian government agricultural-produce grading system and is not an FAO certification mark.