The Centre's Department of Consumer Affairs on Thursday, 20 August 2026 invited online applications from eligible industries, laboratories, engineering colleges, polytechnics, ITIs, and testing facilities seeking recognition as Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs) under the Legal Metrology Rules. The move is aimed at expanding India's weights-and-measures verification ecosystem by bringing technically competent private-sector institutions into the fold.

Application Window and Process

Eligible organisations must submit their applications through the Department's dedicated online portal at emaap.gov.in/gatc before 31 August 2026, 5:00 PM. The portal supports end-to-end digital processing — covering application submission, fee payment, status tracking, and official communication — eliminating the need for repeated physical visits to government offices. Officials described the system as simpler, more transparent, and business-friendly.

Current Network and Expansion Goals

As of now, 51 GATCs have already been recognised across the country. The Department is expanding this network to give businesses greater access to verification facilities closer to their locations, thereby reducing turnaround time and easing compliance. The expansion is also expected to complement State Legal Metrology Departments, freeing state officers to concentrate on market surveillance, enforcement, and consumer grievance redressal rather than routine verification tasks.

Categories of Weights and Measures Covered

Following recent amendments to the GATC Rules, recognised centres can now undertake verification and re-verification across 23 categories of weights and measures spanning healthcare, energy, transport, retail, manufacturing, and infrastructure. These include water meters, sphygmomanometers, clinical thermometers, automatic rail weighbridges, tape measures, non-automatic weighing instruments, load cells, beam scales, counter machines, gas meters, energy meters, moisture meters, vehicle speed meters, breath analysers, multi-dimensional measuring instruments, and flow meters.

Notably, the recent expansion of the GATC framework now also covers dispensers for petrol, diesel, CNG, LPG, LNG, and hydrogen — a significant addition aimed at strengthening verification capacity for fuel dispensing systems and ensuring accuracy and transparency in fuel transactions.

Ease of Doing Business Dimension

The GATC expansion is positioned as a key Ease of Doing Business reform. By reducing dependence on limited departmental verification facilities, manufacturers, traders, and users gain access to a broader network of approved technical centres. To qualify, organisations must possess prescribed testing and calibration equipment traceable to national standards, qualified technical personnel, and the infrastructure specified under the GATC Rules.

With the application deadline fast approaching, the Department has urged all eligible institutions to register on the portal and complete their submissions before 31 August 2026.