Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stated in Tokyo on Tuesday that the government is developing a system that will allow foreign companies aiming to manufacture high-tech products in India to be exempted from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification requirement.
Goyal reported that he has instructed BIS and all other departments of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to create such a framework. This system should provide for exemptions from BIS requirements for all equipment and components that companies intend to import into India to advance their production.
This plan emerged after Takeshi Okubo, a corporate executive and executive vice president of the Japanese semiconductor manufacturer Tokyo Electron, raised questions about BIS certification with Goyal on Monday.
According to Goyal, the proposed structure will help not only Japanese firms but also all foreign companies interested in high-tech manufacturing in India. He noted that this is a logical step given that companies like Tokyo Electron bring high-quality semiconductor production products into the country.
Tokyo Electron is collaborating with Tata Electronics to accelerate the development of semiconductor equipment infrastructure in India. The company has built a commercial semiconductor fabrication plant (fab) in Dholera, Gujarat, as well as an outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) facility in Jagirod, Assam.
Furthermore, the Japanese firm has joined forces with other leading Indian IT and engineering suppliers, such as HCL and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), to build up capabilities in hardware and software. Goyal clarified that they will create a system that will provide either company-level or industry-level exemptions, and will work on a solution for mass, product, project, or corporate exemption upon return to India.
On Monday, the minister also met with leaders of several other Japanese companies. These leaders highlighted the need to improve social infrastructure around semiconductor production sites in Dholera and Jagirod, and requested Goyal to simplify regulatory processes in India.
Goyal assured them that reliable electricity, ultra-pure water, clean infrastructure, waste treatment facilities, and quality logistics, as well as social infrastructure, will be provided in places like Dholera, Jagirod, and other zones where they plan to locate operations, to make their activities in India faster and more attractive.
Japan is among the top five sources of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in India. According to the latest data from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), India has received cumulative FDI from Japan amounting to $48.14 billion as of March 2026.
