The Centre's Department of Consumer Affairs on Thursday, 28 May convened a review meeting with officials from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and the Union Territory of Puducherry to accelerate implementation of reforms under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, introduced through the Jan Vishwas initiative. The meeting pressed states to move faster on decriminalisation of minor offences, a new registration framework, and expansion of verification infrastructure.

Key Reforms on the Table

The discussions centred on four reform pillars: a shift from licensing to registration-based compliance, the rollout of 'Improvement Notices' for first-time procedural violations, expansion of Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs), and digitisation of Legal Metrology services. The Department also flagged capacity building for Legal Metrology Officers as a priority area.

Under the newly introduced Improvement Notice mechanism, businesses committing a first-time procedural breach under specified sections of the Act will receive a notice before any penal action is initiated. The reform is designed to encourage voluntary compliance, reduce litigation, and improve Ease of Doing Business without compromising consumer protection.

Registration Over Licensing: A Trust-Based Shift

States were urged to ensure that the transition from licensing to registration is substantive, not cosmetic. The Department emphasised that registrations must be granted automatically upon submission of prescribed documents, without prior inspections or unnecessary procedural delays. Participating states indicated that revised Enforcement Rules and GATC Rules are in advanced stages of drafting and are expected to be notified shortly.

GATC Expansion and Jurisdictional Clarity

The Department called on states and Union Territories to notify their GATC Rules promptly and widen the range of instruments covered under the mechanism. Expanded GATCs are expected to strengthen verification infrastructure, improve the availability of verifiers, and enable faster service delivery to industries, traders, and consumers.

Notably, the meeting also clarified a jurisdictional boundary: unlike the repealed Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976, the current Legal Metrology Act, 2009 does not permit inter-state verification of weights and measures. GATCs approved by the Director of Legal Metrology, Government of India, may carry out verification and re-verification only within the state or UT for which approval has been granted. The clarification was issued to prevent operational ambiguity and ensure uniform implementation.

Capacity Building and Digital Delivery

Training programmes for Legal Metrology Officers will be organised through the Indian Institute of Legal Metrology (IILM), Ranchi, to strengthen technical capacity. The e-Maap portal was highlighted as the primary vehicle for faster, seamless service delivery, alongside the strengthening of third-party verification mechanisms and inclusion of newly added categories of weighing and measuring instruments under GATC frameworks.

The Department reiterated that while procedural compliances are being simplified to support honest businesses and traders, strict enforcement against fraud, tampering, and violations affecting consumer interests will continue. The broader goal, officials said, is a transparent, modern regulatory ecosystem that balances business facilitation with consumer protection. Further review meetings with other regional clusters of states are expected as the rollout continues.