New Delhi, Oct 30 : The Department of Consumer Affairs has notified significant amendments to the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013. These amendments mark a major milestone in expanding India's verification infrastructure for weights and measures, ensuring transparency, accuracy, and fairness in trade, an official statement said on Thursday.

The revised rules aim to strengthen consumer protection, promote ease of doing business and align India's system of verification with international best practices, according to the official statement.

The amended rules significantly broaden the scope of Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs) to cover 18 categories of weighing and measuring instruments, including water meters, energy meters, gas meters, clinical thermometers, moisture meters, flow meters, sphygmomanometers, and non-automatic weighing instruments.

The inclusion of new categories such as flow meters, breath analysers, multi-dimensional measuring instruments, and speed guns reflects the government's commitment to keeping pace with evolving technologies and industrial needs.

These instruments play a vital role in sectors such as healthcare, transport, energy and infrastructure, where precision in measurement directly impacts safety, quality, and consumer confidence. The participation of private laboratories and industries as GATCs alongside government facilities will increase verification capacity, improve accessibility and reduce waiting time for industries, the statement explained.

The initiative supports the government's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by promoting indigenous testing facilities and leveraging public'private partnership to expand the national verification network. The recognition of Regional Reference Standard Laboratories (RRSLs) and National Test House (NTH) laboratories as deemed GATCs ensures a nationwide network for verification of consumer facing instruments, the statement said.

Regular and decentralised verification of weighing scales, water meters, energy meters, etc. will minimise the risk of inaccurate measurements and ensure consumers get full value for their money. The amendments act as a force multiplier for State Legal Metrology Departments. With Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs) undertaking verification work, State Legal Metrology Officers can devote more time to inspection, enforcement and addressing consumer grievances.

The Rules also introduce clarity regarding jurisdiction permitting GATCs to verify instruments within districts and across the state and harmonize verification fees through a newly inserted Fifth Schedule. Rules streamline the process for GATC recognition by requiring applications to be submitted to the Joint Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs in a prescribed format.

They also provide clear criteria for inspection, staff qualifications and technical requirements, along with digital payment options for fee submission. This transparent and structured approach will reduce compliance burden, promote faster service delivery and foster greater confidence among industry stakeholders.

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi said, 'the amendment to the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules is a major step towards modernizing India's legal metrology ecosystem. It empowers industry participation, ensures accurate measurements for consumers and strengthens the hands of our enforcement officers. With this reform, India is building a transparent, technology-driven and self-reliant system of measurement verification that enhances fairness in trade and protects consumer rights.'

As an OIML Certification Authority, India now holds the capability to issue internationally accepted OIML certificates paving the way for domestic manufacturers to obtain globally recognised certification within the country, who earlier had to rely on foreign authorities for the same. This will reduce costs, save time and enhance India's competitiveness in the global measurement instrument market, the statement added.

/IANS