LEGAL METROLOGY LAWS

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• The Union government has amended a key provision in the Legal Metrology Rules, to end ‘inspector raj’.
• It will empower officers to initiate prosecution against directors of companies even for minor offences relating to weights and measures.
• It will promote ease of doing business and stop harassment of top directors or owners of the companies for small violations in weights and measures.

Legal Metrology Act, 2009

• With respect to providing uniform standards of weights and measures, the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 was enforced in India. The Act was implemented with effect from 1st April 2011.
• Enforcement of Weights and Measures and Standards is entrusted with the Directorate of Legal Metrology in each state in India, and almost every business is impacted by the Laws of Legal Metrology being involved in sale, distribution or any transaction of goods by weight, measure or number.
• OBJECTIVE
  • To regulate trade and commerce in weights and measures
  • To set and enforce the standards of weight and measure
  • To regulate the manufacture, sale and use of goods by weights, measures or numbers
  • To rationalize the Metric system (meter, kilogram etc.) to be used in India.

Legal Metrology (Packaging Rules 2011)

• Department of Consumer Affairs administers the Legal Metrology Act 2009.
• The act provides for the application of legal requirements to measurements and measuring instruments.
• The objective of Legal Metrology is to ensure public guarantee from the point of view of security and accuracy of the weights and measurements.
• The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities), Rules 2011 are primarily intended to ensure that the consumers can make informed choices by being informed of essential declarations on the pre-packed commodities.
• The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 ("Packaging Rules") regulate pre-packaged commodities in India and inter – alia mandate certain labelling requirements before the sale of such commodities.
  • All product packages, to which the Packaging Rules apply, are required to bear certain declarations on their principal display panel.
  • It is now mandatory to declare on the product package, the name of the country of origin or manufacture or assembly in case of imported products.
  • If a package contains a commodity which may become unfit for human consumption after a period of time, the 'best before or use by the date, month and year' is required to be mentioned on the product package.
  • The retail sale price to be mentioned on the package must necessarily be the maximum retail price inclusive of all taxes. The price in Indian rupees and paise should be rounded off to the nearest rupee or 50 paise.
  • The Amendment prohibits the provision of dual maximum retail price (MRP) on the products. Accordingly, no manufacturer, packer or importer is permitted to declare different MRPs on identical pre-packaged commodities unless otherwise permitted.
  • In addition to the mandatory declarations, the manufacturers, packers or importers are now permitted to declare;
    • Barcode or GTIN or QR Code.
    • 'E-code' for net quantity assurance of the commodity.
    • Logos of Government schemes, such as the Swachh Bharat Mission, where such use is authorized by the Government.

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