Subheading: Centre Shifts Focus Towards Easier Compliance and Consumer Protection
Categories: Business, Regulation, Consumer Affairs
SEO Keywords: Legal Metrology Act India, legal metrology reforms, ease of doing business India, consumer protection India, improvement notice mechanism, Nidhi Khare
Key Highlights
- The Centre has decriminalised around 20 sections of the Legal Metrology law as part of ease-of-doing-business reforms.
- Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the focus is now on improving compliance while protecting consumer interests.
- A new Improvement Notice mechanism allows businesses to correct certain deficiencies before penal proceedings begin.
- Improvement Notices were introduced through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026.
- Penalties will follow if businesses fail to address violations even after receiving an improvement notice.
- The government is following a graded penalty approach, with penalties intended to be proportionate to violations.
- States have been asked to engage regularly with manufacturers, trade and commerce to understand compliance difficulties.
- India has recognised 51 Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs) as part of efforts to strengthen legal metrology verification infrastructure.
News Story
The Centre has introduced a series of reforms to India’s legal metrology framework, including the decriminalisation of around 20 sections, as it seeks to make regulatory compliance easier for businesses while maintaining safeguards for consumers.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the government’s focus is now on ensuring compliance and protecting consumer interests rather than treating legal metrology purely as a strict inspection-based system.
The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 establishes and enforces standards relating to weights and measures used in trade and commerce. The framework covers goods sold by weight, measure or number and incorporates evolving measurement standards, technology and modern trade practices.
One of the significant changes is the introduction of an Improvement Notice mechanism under the Legal Metrology Act through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026.
Under the mechanism, businesses can be given an opportunity to correct certain deficiencies and instances of non-compliance before authorities initiate penal proceedings.
Khare said that when a violation is discovered, authorities can first issue a notice asking the business to make the necessary improvements. If the business fails to correct the issue even after receiving the notice, penalties can subsequently be imposed.
The government is also adopting a graded approach to penalties, with the severity of a financial penalty intended to correspond to the nature of the violation.
Khare said states have been asked to engage regularly with the manufacturing, trade and commerce sectors to understand the difficulties businesses encounter and identify areas where additional reforms may be required.
The Department of Consumer Affairs is also strengthening India’s legal metrology verification infrastructure by expanding the network of Government Approved Test Centres. A total of 51 GATCs have been recognised so far, according to the supplied report.
The reforms seek to balance ease of doing business with accurate measurement and consumer protection, ensuring businesses have an opportunity to address smaller compliance issues while retaining enforcement mechanisms for unresolved violations.
Image Summary
A realistic editorial image representing regulatory compliance and consumer protection in India, showing professionals inspecting packaged goods and measurement equipment in a modern commercial environment.
