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Indian Express
06-07-2025
- Indian Express
7 things to keep in mind while buying a power bank
A power bank is a critical accessory for those who are regularly away from home and need their devices, as it guarantees power on-the-go. However, there are some critical factors to keep in mind while buying a power bank for daily use, to ensure your devices' specifications are met. And, most importantly to ensure that it is a safe and reliable device. Most devices have a required voltage to charge at. For most recent smartphones, this stands at five volts. However, some phones need a higher voltage as well. However, all power banks are not compatible with the varying voltage. If the voltage provided by the power bank is lower, it will not charge the device. Hence, before buying a power bank, it is critical to check both your device charger's voltage and the power bank's voltage, to ensure compatibility and charging. A power bank should ideally be able to fully charge your smartphone from zero to 100 percent twice, if not thrice. To ensure this, you should check your phone's capacity either online, or from the phone's settings. This will likely be in milliamperes-hour (or mAh). Then, it is ideal to take a power bank with double, if not triple the capacity. For instance, for a phone with a 4,000 mAh, it is ideal to look out for a power bank with at least an 8,000 mAh capacity. Not all power banks are guaranteed to provide safe power to your devices. For instance, an unsafe power bank could lead to overcharging, and potentially even fry your device's batteries. Hence, before buying a power bank, it is crucial to check its features with respect to your needs as well. For instance, the power bank should be able to stop itself from over-charging, protect its integrated circuit, and most importantly, not have any risk of short circuiting. This can both cause harm to your device and physical harm to you. Another potential safety hazard can be the type of battery fitted in the power bank. Some lower-range power banks can contain low-quality battery cells, which have a higher chance of leakage, or even run a risk of explosion. To ensure optimal safety, look out for a power bank with either a Lithium Polymer or Lithium Ion cell, which is also Bureau of Indian Standards Act (BIS) certified. While power banks with these batteries can be slightly more expensive, the safety that they guarantee makes it worth it. This is a crucial factor for those who need to charge more than one device at a time. Some power banks only come with one charging port, meaning that only a singular device can be charged at once. Furthermore, the ports might also be compatible with a different charger type. To ensure the power bank fits your criteria, look at the product specifications, and ensure that the number and type of port fits your criteria. A power bank's build quality is crucial for both safety and longevity. A sturdy build with good-quality material can ensure security against wear-and-tear. With a power bank being an object made to be used on-the-move, a good build is necessary to have a long-lasting power bank. Ideally, the case should be a high-quality plastic, or a durable aluminium. This should keep out any dust or water from the internal components, making it much more secure and safe for use as well. Finally, a power indicator on the power bank is a helpful tool to gauge the amount of power it can provide before needing to be charged, to help account for usage. Even while charging, a power indicator can give you a gauge as to how much power the power bank has, and a rough estimate for how long it will take to charge fully. This can either be a small screen indicating its battery percentage, or a row of clear light dots. This is particularly useful to also prevent overuse of the power bank away from charge, and prevent overcharging the power bank while it is charging.
Mint
12-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Govt again defers quality control orders for cement and mail sacks—to 6 Sept
New Delhi: The Union government has deferred by three months the rollout of mandatory quality control orders (QCOs) for polymer-based sacks used in cement packaging and mail distribution to avoid supply disruptions. The new implementation date for the QCOs will be 6 September, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) said in three separate notices late Wednesday. The department had earlier extended the deadline to 6 June 2025 from the original date of 3 July 2024, which was set when the rules were first issued in 2023. Manufacturers of polymer sacks say they haven't been able to make the switch because of a combination of cost and compliance burden. The revised timeline applies to three categories of products: Plastic-woven sacks made from polyethylene and polypropylene used for 50 kg cement bags, Laminated block-bottom valve sacks used in cement packaging, and Laminated plastic sacks used for sorting, transporting, and storing mail and parcels. Also read | Non-tariff barrier: Time for India to reverse its rash of quality control orders Cement companies commonly use plastic-based sacks to package 50 kg bags, which are the industry standard. These sacks are preferred over traditional materials due to their strength, durability, and resistance to moisture. Similarly, the sacks used by postal and courier services play a crucial role in ensuring safe transport and delivery of mail and parcels. The quality control orders were tightened to ensure the bags used by the Postal Department for loading parcels are of good quality. Besides, ensuring the quality of these sacks is key to preventing breakage, reducing losses, and improving efficiency. While DPIIT's notices do not detail the reasons for the extension, a senior government official said the decision followed industry requests for more time to complete testing procedures, obtain Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification, and upgrade infrastructure in line with the mandated quality standards. 'These are highly used products in critical sectors such as construction and logistics. The extension will help manufacturers align with quality benchmarks without disrupting ongoing operations,' the official said, requesting anonymity. Under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, the Centre is empowered to enforce mandatory BIS certification in public interest. Once in force, quality control orders prohibit manufacturing, sale or import of non-BIS-certified products in the covered categories. Industry associations have welcomed the decision to defer the enforcement date for the polymer sacks, calling it a 'practical move' that will help micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) meet the requirements without facing punitive action or production halts. 'Since a significant number of MSMEs are involved in making these sacks, the move will help them meet the required standards and get certified by BIS,' said Vinod Kumar, president, India SME Forum. 'Bags made from poly material last longer, but they are not biodegradable. Meeting BIS standards means manufacturers will have to switch to more environment-friendly and biodegradable materials, which increases the costs and requires major changes in production process,' said a Delhi-based manufacturer of plastic bags, asking not to be named. The global cement packaging market size is projected to grow to $13.68 billion this year from $13.20 billion in 2024 and expected to reach $18.31 billion by 2032, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.26% during the forecast period, as per Fortune Business Insights, an online market research platform.
