I Supply to a PSU: Do My Own Factory Cameras Need STQC?
Does selling to a PSU mean your own plant's cameras need STQC? As of 15 Oct 2026, no. The Make in India procurement order and MeitY's CCTV notification bind what a PSU buys, not the supplier's premises. Two exceptions: cameras you supply to the PSU, and holders of a defence industrial licence, whose security manual mandates gate and perimeter CCTV.
Last checked: 15 Oct 2026
By the Mama Editorial Team, for owners of plants selling to central PSUs, DPSUs or through GeM. Not legal advice.
Verified against
- DPIIT, Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017, revised 19 Jul 2024, No. P-45021/2/2017-PP (BE-II), paras 2, 3(c) and 4 (copy hosted by DoT)
- MeitY, S.O. 1119(E), 6 Mar 2024, Video Surveillance System under PPP-MII, paras 2, 4.1, 5 and 9 (egazette 2024/252738)
- MeitY, S.O. 1652(E), 9 Apr 2024, CCTV added to the Compulsory Registration Order (CRO) with Essential Requirements (ER) (egazette 2024/253632)
- MeitY OM W-18/26/2025-IPHW, 16 Jan 2026 (crsbis.in PDF) and MeitY circular W-18/26/2025-IPHW, 4 Feb 2026 (stqc.gov.in PDF)
- BIS Registration Department, analogue CCTV circular, 1 Apr 2025 (crsbis.in PDF)
- GeM, General Terms and Conditions on GeM 4.0, v1.29, 25 Mar 2026 (copy hosted by IISER Berhampur)
- Ministry of Defence, Department of Defence Production, Security Manual for Licensed Defence Industries (SMLDI), revised June 2025: Foreword, Chapters 3, 7 and 8 for Category A and B
- Checked 15 Oct 2026.
Your situation → do your cameras need STQC?
| Your situation | Cameras in your own plant need STQC? | What does apply | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| You sell non-camera goods (castings, cables, spares) to a central PSU | No | Nothing camera-specific. PPP-MII applies to the items the PSU procures, i.e. your castings | DPIIT order para 2 |
| You sell through GeM | No | GTC v1.29 has no CCTV, camera, surveillance or STQC clause (searched 15 Oct 2026) | GeM GTC v1.29 |
| You supply CCTV cameras to a PSU | Not for your plant. Yes for the cameras you deliver | ER security test report from STQC or a MeitY-notified agency, valid 3 years | S.O. 1119(E) para 5 |
| Your EPC, turnkey or system-integrator contract with a PSU includes cameras at their site | Not for your plant. Yes for the cameras in the contract scope | PPP-MII "works includes Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts and services include System Integrator (SI) contracts" | DPIIT order para 3(c) |
| You hold a Defence Industrial Licence, or you are a DPSU | STQC is not named for cameras. CCTV itself is mandatory | Perimeter and gates, 90-day recording, staffed control room, MeitY CCTV guidelines "strictly adhere[d] to" | SMLDI 2025, Ch. 3 |
| You are a subcontractor to a licensed defence company and receive classified work | Only if the contract imports it: "All the relevant clauses of the Manual of Security are to be made applicable for the sub-contractor" | SMLDI 2025, para 8.1(iii) | |
| Any factory buying a new IP camera after 1 Apr 2026 | Not STQC by name. The camera must be BIS-registered and ER-compliant, because non-ER cameras may not be sold | MeitY OM 16 Jan 2026 |
Why supplying a PSU does not reach your camera wall
The order binds the buyer. The DPIIT order defines "procuring entity" as a ministry or department, its attached or subordinate office, an autonomous body it controls, "and includes Government companies as defined in the Companies Act". A private supplier is none of these.
The camera notification binds the buyer too. S.O. 1119(E) para 2 says "preference shall be provided by all procuring entities to locally manufactured Video Surveillance System". Para 5 adds that cameras "should comply with the Essential Requirements (ERs) for security", with the test report from STQC "or any other agency notified by MeitY". These are conditions on what the PSU buys, not on where its vendors make things.
The 4 Feb 2026 circular is addressed to buyers. MeitY sent it to "All Ministries/Departments/PSUs/Autonomous bodies/procurement agencies" and GeM's CEO: STQC's CRO security report now also counts for PPP-MII.
Small buys are out of PPP-MII. DPIIT order para 4 exempts procurement below ₹5 lakh, and forbids splitting an order to get under it. The CRO sale ban (MeitY OM, 16 Jan 2026) has no value threshold.
State PSUs are a separate case. S.O. 1119(E) para 9 reaches state and local-body purchases only "if project or scheme is fully or partially funded by Government of India".
For the full side-by-side of the three instruments, see STQC ER vs BIS CRS vs Make in India PPO.
The one real exception: defence licence holders
The June 2025 SMLDI says it "is applicable to all Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and the companies which hold Defence Industrial Licence(s)". The licence carries a footnote requiring compliance. The camera clauses are nearly identical for Category A (arms, ammunition, radars) and Category B (sub-assemblies, avionics):
- Perimeter (para 3.3.4). The perimeter "should be covered by CCTV with recording facility for 90 days. The Guidelines issued by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on CCTVs from time to time shall be strictly adhere to."
- Gates (3.3.11 in Category A, 3.3.8 in Category B). "The gates must be covered by CCTV."
- Control room (3.3.12 in A, 3.3.9 in B). It must be "manned round the clock".
- Vital points (para 3.14(f), Category A). CCTV "at entry / exit of Vital Points and other sensitive locations inside the factory", footage kept for 90 days.
- Server room (para 7.9.3(viii), Category A). Biometric access control "with CCTV coverage in place".
- Recordings (para 7.7.7). "CCTV recordings should be password protected."
- Intrusion cameras (para 7.7.6). Beacon and siren must be integrated with perimeter intrusion cameras, because "any camera can be tampered for accessing in to the air-gapped camera network".
The manual names STQC in one clause only, repeated in both categories: cyber-security audits by "CERT-IN empanelled auditors preferably by STQC" (para 7.7.8). It does not say "STQC-certified cameras". The binding phrase is "Guidelines issued by MeitY on CCTVs". Today the MeitY CCTV instruments are the ER notifications above. A licensee buying cameras now should therefore buy ER-compliant models and keep the BIS and STQC paperwork.
The Foreword also lets "Service Headquarters/DRDO/DPSUs" demand more for specific projects. Read your contract as well as the manual.
Dated negative results
- GeM GTC v1.29 (25 Mar 2026): no clause on CCTV, cameras, surveillance or STQC. Its vendor assessment covers "manufacturing / testing facilities / quality control arrangement(s)" (para 22.11), not security cameras. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- DPIIT PPP-MII order (19 Jul 2024) and S.O. 1119(E): no obligation on a supplier's own premises. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- SMLDI 2025: no requirement that cameras carry STQC certification by name. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
What breaks in a factory
- Replacing a dead camera. Your installed cameras stay legal (Do I have to replace my CCTV?). A replacement IP camera is a new sale, so it must be ER-compliant. Check the model in the CCTV certificate checker.
- Analogue cameras on a DVR. BIS's 1 Apr 2025 circular says the security ER "is not applicable on Analog CCTV Cameras". If you supply analogue cameras to a PSU, though, S.O. 1119(E) lists "CCTV Camera (Analog/ IP/ …)" under the ER.
- Recorders. S.O. 1119(E) says "security norms for the DVR and NVR will be notified subsequently".
- 90 days for defence licensees. That is twice the disk of a 45-day setup and three times a 30-day one. Size the disks with the storage calculator before the audit, not after.
- Power cuts. An NVR that reboots on every DG changeover leaves holes in the 90-day record. Use a UPS.
When to call the installer / what to ask
- PSU buyer. Ask the purchase officer for the clause in writing if a vendor-registration form or audit asks about your CCTV. None of the general texts above requires it.
- Licensing authority or DDP. If you hold or are applying for a Defence Industrial Licence, ask which category your item falls in. The manual says the category "will be specified along with the comments of DDP".
- Installer. For each new IP camera, ask for the BIS R-number, the model's place on the ER list and the certified firmware version. For PSU supply, also ask for the STQC report date and the Class-I/II local-content figure.
STQC paperwork tells you a camera is secure, not whether it watches the machines that make your money. Mama reads a factory's existing cameras over RTSP/ONVIF and sends the owner a short morning note on where machines stood idle. Leave an email or phone in the form below.
FAQ
Is STQC certification mandatory for CCTV cameras in India? Not by name for a private buyer. Since 1 Apr 2026, an IP camera must meet MeitY's ER to be sold. The ER test report can come from STQC or another BIS-recognised lab. Government buyers under PPP-MII need the security report from STQC "or any other agency notified by MeitY".
Does GeM require STQC-certified CCTV? For cameras sold on GeM to a central government buyer or a PSU, or to a state buyer under a centrally funded scheme (S.O. 1119(E) para 9), the PPP-MII conditions in S.O. 1119(E) apply to the cameras. GeM's own GTC v1.29 has no clause on a seller's premises cameras (checked 15 Oct 2026).
Do defence suppliers need CCTV in their factory? DPSUs and Defence Industrial Licence holders do. The SMLDI requires CCTV on the perimeter and gates, 90-day recording and a round-the-clock control room. A supplier without a licence is bound only if a contract imports those clauses.