India can now test electronics and IT products and issue globally-valid certificates with respect to cyber security as the country has been granted ‘Authorising Nation’ status under the international common criteria recognition arrangement.

The status enables India to test IT and electronics products and issue certificates which will be acceptable internationally, the Ministry of Communications and IT said in a release on Thursday.

“India has been recognised as ‘Authorising Nation’ under the international CCRA (common criteria recognition arrangement) to test and certify electronics and IT products with respect to cyber security. Thus, India has become the 17th nation to earn such recognition,” the release said.

Till now, India was having the status of ‘Consuming Nation’ with respect to certification of electronics and IT products.

Consuming members in the CCRA cant issue internationally recognised certificates, but they are free to issue national certificates.

The recognition would enable investment in setting up infrastructure and labs in public and private sectors in the country for testing electronics and IT products, the release said.

It would also remove the bottleneck which as of now had prevented international companies from submitting their products for testing and certification in India, it added.

The international arrangement has 26 member countries including the US, the UK, Germany, South Korea, France, Japan, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Malaysia etc.

A Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) wing has been certifying electronic products for the last 5-6 years and as India has been granted the Authorising Nation’ status, these certificates will now be acceptable internationally by all CCRA member countries.

“The Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate of DeitY has been operating common criteria certification scheme in the country for the last 5-6 years. Under it STQC undertakes certification of Electronics and IT products after evaluation of the products at its lab in Kolkata,” the statement said.

The certificates issued by STQC directorate shall now be acceptable internationally by all CCRA member countries, it added.