Department of Consumer Affairs organised a round table workshop at Vigyan Bhawan on “Ease of Doing Business and Consumer Protection – Legal Metrology Act 2009” to advance reforms that balance consumer rights with trade facilitation. Around 200 participants from states, industry associations and consumer organisations joined the hybrid event aimed at strengthening trust, digitisation and fair trade practices.
The workshop discussed proposals to replace the licensing regime with simplified registration, allow self-verification by manufacturers, extend verification periods and adopt geo-tagging, GPS-based inspections and technology-driven verification to improve the implementation of Government Approved Test Centre rules.
Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs Nidhi Khare highlighted that the Legal Metrology Act protects consumer interests while promoting ease of business through clear and transparent rules. She detailed key initiatives including the eMaap Portal, Government Approved Test Centres, OIML certification and the Time Dissemination Project. She announced a one-stop facilitation helpdesk for Legal Metrology queries every Tuesday and confirmed provision of 519 E2 Class Weights and 297 E1 Class Weights to states at an estimated cost of ₹100 crore.
Referring to Jan Vishwas 1.0 and 2.0 reforms, she said the decriminalisation of sections and the proposal to introduce improvement notices will eliminate barriers and allow businesses to operate without fear of imprisonment for minor violations. She emphasised that digitisation, risk-based regulation and stakeholder collaboration will further enhance trust and ease of business.
Additional Secretary Bharat Khera underscored that the Act safeguards consumers without burdening genuine businesses and cited the decriminalisation of seven provisions and replacement of imprisonment with penalties as key steps. Joint Secretary Anupam Mishra presented proposals for further decriminalisation and explained how the eMaap Portal will unify enforcement, create a single database and simplify compliance for traders and officials.
Industry associations welcomed the advisory on MRP relaxation and passing on GST benefits to consumers. They suggested amendments to verification timelines, rationalisation of licensing for manufacturers, dealers and repairers and the introduction of faceless and self-verification. Voluntary Consumer Organisations called for strict enforcement against large-scale violations.
Controllers of Legal Metrology from multiple states, including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Kerala, shared best practices and regulatory challenges. The State Government of Gujarat participated virtually.
