Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday called for strengthening the legal metrology ecosystem through technology-driven governance, smart regulation and reforms aimed at balancing consumer interests with ease of doing business.
Addressing a virtual event on the occasion of World Metrology Day, he emphasised the importance of accurate measurements in ensuring reliable policymaking, consumer protection, fair trade and transparency.
He said the government was dedicated to reducing regulatory burdens by enhancing marketplace fairness through smart regulation and responsive governance.
Joshi said the primary aim of legal metrology was to ensure absolute fairness in society by regulating and verifying the accuracy of all weights and measures to protect consumer interests.
He said this year’s theme, “Metrology: Building Trust in Policy Making”, highlighted the importance of accuracy in metrology for reliable and objective public policy. He said India had been a front-runner in adopting uniform measurement systems since the time of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
The minister also said that his department was working towards developing a National Legal Metrology Portal.
“India has now become the 13 country worldwide to issue International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML) approval certificates, strengthening its global standing. Domestic manufacturers can now export their weighing and measuring instruments worldwide without incurring additional testing fees, resulting in significant cost savings,” he added.
Joshi also spoke about key initiatives such as the Jan Vishwas Act reforms, expansion of Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs), launch of the eMaap digital portal and the Indian Standard Time Dissemination Project being implemented with CSIR-National Physical Laboratory and Indian Space Research Organisation.
Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), emphasised the importance of accurate and reliable measurements in ensuring effective governance, consumer protection, fair trade and sustainable development.
She highlighted that reliable measurements were essential for transparency, seamless trade and consumer trust in today’s data-driven world, while globally harmonised measurement systems support scientific progress and fair market practices.
She also emphasised the importance of accurate measurements in sectors such as banking, finance, pollution monitoring, energy meters, gas meters, moisture meters and breath analysers, as precision and standardisation directly impact consumers and economic efficiency.
Metrology plays a critical role in building trust in policy making by providing accurate, traceable and internationally recognised measurements.
National Metrology Institutes underpin this trust by ensuring measurement integrity, comparability and transparency. This gives policymakers confidence that regulations, standards and public decisions are based on reliable evidence that is trusted by industry and society.
