3. Application for recognition of consumers’ association.- (1) Every consumers’ association which is desirous of being recognised as a registered Consumers’ Association - (a) shall have not less than fifty consumers as its members; and (b) shall make an application for such recognition in triplicate to the Bureau of Indian Standards in Form I. (2) Every application made under sub-rule (1) shall be accompa¬nied by a bank draft of rupees one thousand. (3) On receipt of an application made under sub-rule (1), the Bureau of Indian Standards shall note thereon the date of its receipt and shall forthwith communicate such date to the appli¬cant. (4) The Bureau of Indian Standards may, before issue of a certif¬icate of recognition, require the applicant to furnish, within such period as may be specified by it, such additional informa¬tion as may be considered necessary within a period of 30 days of a receipt of that letter by the applicant. (5) On receipt of an application and such other additional infor¬mation as may be sought under sub-rule (4), the Bureau of Indian Standards shall process the application and forward documents to the Ministry of Civil Supplies, Government of India with its recommendations for their consideration. (6) On receipt of the recommendations of the Bureau under sub-rule (5), the Ministry shall consider those recommendations and after satisfying itself that the applicants’ association is fit to be recognised, may recognise the association in this behalf (7) The certificate of recognition to be issued by the Ministry under sub-rule (6) shall be in Form II. (8) Where a certificate of recognition issued under these rules is lost, destroyed or mutilated, a duplicate may be issued on an application made in this behalf and on payment of a fee of rupees one hundred. | 
