The Department of Consumer Affairs from the Centre recently met with northern states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Union Territories including Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The purpose was to assess the implementation of reforms under the Legal Metrology Act. One of the key focuses was on the newly introduced “Improvement Notice” mechanism aimed at promoting voluntary compliance to rectify initial procedural violations before any penal actions.
The reform intends to streamline processes, reduce unnecessary legal disputes, and create a more compliance-centric regulatory atmosphere. Discussions also revolved around transitioning from the current licensing system to a registration-based approach for manufacturers, dealers, and repairers of weights and measures. The emphasis was on simplifying the regulatory framework by granting registrations automatically upon submission of required documents, thus facilitating smoother operations for businesses within the legal boundaries.
During the meeting led by Nidhi Khare, the Union Department of Consumer Affairs Secretary, officials engaged with Controllers and Legal Metrology officers from participating states and UTs. The objective was to evaluate the progress of reforms aimed at easing the compliance burden, enhancing Ease of Doing Business, and establishing a trust-based regulatory structure while safeguarding consumer interests. The discussion also covered topics like verification and stamping of weights and measures, expansion of Government Approved Test Centre (GATC) framework, and the importance of digitization initiatives.
