• The Department of Consumer Affairs has amended the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 for the enhancement of the ease of doing business and reducing the compliance burden for the industries.

• Section 49 of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 now allows the companies to nominate an officer of the establishment or branch or unit in any establishment or branch who has the authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the respective establishment or branch or unit in any establishment or branch.

• With this amendment, companies having different establishments or branches or different units in any establishment or branch can now nominate an officer who has the authority and responsibility for the operations and activities of the establishments or branches or different units.

• Earlier, in case of violations under the Legal Metrology Act, prosecutions were initiated against the directors of the companies even for the violation done by any establishment or branch or unit in any establishment or branch of the company.

• There was request from various industries to allow nominating the person who is actually having the authority and responsibility of the establishment or branch or unit in any establishment or branch and not the director, so that the notices for the violation done by the establishments or branches or units should not be issued to the directors who are not responsible for the violation of establishment or branch or unit in any establishment or branch.

Legal metrology laws

• Legal metrology (weights and measures) laws form the basis of commercial transactions in any civilised society.

• Metrology is the science of measurement and its application.

Precision and accuracy in measurement plays a very vital role in day to day life. A transparent and efficient legal metrology system inspires confidence in trade, industry and consumer and brings harmonious environment for conducting business by way of:

i) Contribution to the economy of the country by increasing the revenue in various sectors. 

ii) Playing important role in reducing the revenue losses in the coal, mines, industries, petroleum and railways.

iii) Reduction of the loss and wastage in the infrastructure sector.

• The work performed by the legal metrology therefore, is vital to the public interest. 

• ‘Pre-packaged commodity’ is defined under the Act as, “a commodity which without the purchaser being present is placed in a package of whatever nature, whether sealed or not, so that the product contained therein has a pre-determined quantity”.

• To ensure accuracy of measurement in such transactions, the government has enacted legislation namely, the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 . The said Act is unified Act of two repealed acts namely the Standards of Weights & Measures Act, 1976 & the Standards of Weights & Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985. 

• The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 has come into force with effect from April 1, 2011. Rules have been formulated for better implementation of the Act.

• The government ensures through the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 that all weights and measures used for transaction and protection are accurate and reliable so that users are guaranteed for correct weighment and measurement. This in turn enables the consumer to get the right quantity for which he/she has paid for.

• The central government has made seven rules for the better implementation of the Act. 

• The state governments have also framed their Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules. 

The following Legal Metrology Rules have been framed under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 for protection of consumer interest:

1) The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011

2) The Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011

3) The Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules, 2011

4) The Legal Metrology (National Standards) Rules, 2011

5) The Legal Metrology (Numeration) Rules, 2011

6) The Indian Institute of Legal Metrology Rules, 2011

7) The Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013.

• The department has adopted technical specifications of weighing and measuring instruments in the Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 in accordance with the recommendations of the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML). 

• Director, legal metrology is a statutory authority with powers and responsibilities prescribed under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 relating to inter-state trade and commerce of weights and measures including pre-packaged commodities. 

• The director is also responsible for establishing standards of legal metrology and maintaining traceability of standards relating to legal metrology. 

• The enforcement of legal metrology laws is done by the state governments by the Controller of Legal Metrology and other Legal Metrology Officers as per the provisions of Act.

• The central government has established six functioning Regional Reference Standards Laboratories (RRSLs) at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Faridabad ,Guwahati and Varanasi. These RRSLs serve as a vital link in dissemination of the values of national standards of legal metrology down to the commercial level. The laboratories maintain reference standards of appropriate accuracy for verification of legal standards of the states, calibration of weighing and measuring instruments, model approval tests of weighing and measuring instruments, training and seminars on weights and measures. Each laboratory provides calibration service to the industries in the region.

• Indian Institute of Legal Metrology, Ranchi is the national centre for imparting professional training to the legal metrology officers.

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