Union Minister Piyush Goyal lambasted some members of the Governing Council Bureau of Indian Standards for disabling their video during an online conference call. The minister during the meeting on March 1, said that it is difficult to figure out if people are seriously attending the meeting or wandering about by keeping the video on blank. "If you switch on the video, I will be able to know if you are actually attending the meeting," he said. Goyal said that it is easier to see if everyone is showing interest if the video is on.
The minister asked Pramod Kumar Tiwari, DG Bureau of Indian Standards to keep a tab on those in attendance. "Those who miss two or three meetings at a stretch, please send them a letter asking them whether they want to continue in the governing council or not," he told Tiwari.
He told the DG of BIS that if a member is not present in the third meeting, then he or she will immediately be removed from the role. Piyush Goyal said that this is how they will take interest in the work they do. He said that otherwise members start spinning tales about how they are busy with some other work. "If you are so busy then you should leave this position," said an irate Goyal.
Please bring in people who are interested in the work that BIS does, he told Tiwari. Goyal further asked if elected parliamentarians are also part of the governing council. "Even if a parliamentarian or a senior official is irregular, then replace them also," he said.
In a video that has been making the rounds on social media, Goyal can be seen saying that no one is permanent in the council. "Those who don't contribute should not even be a part of the governing council of BIS," he said adding that Tiwari must also additionally monitor the attendance of the members.
BIS, established under the BIS Act 2016, looks after activities of standardisation, marking and quality certification of goods. It operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
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