The Legal Metrology Rules is a term that defines the regulations over the provisions set for the scientific study of weights and measurement instruments to be implicated in accordance with the Legal Metrology Act, 2009. The Legal Metrology Rules govern the distribution of all packaged commodities in India, which can be exporting goods, food items, consumer products, etc. All manufacturers, traders, packagers, importers and exporters need to obtain a Legal Metrology Certificate to be issued from the Metrology Department of Consumer Affairs in accordance with the Legal Metrology Act, 2009.
Constitutional Provisions of Legal Metrology Rules
The constitutional provisions governing the Legal Metrology Rules is listed under Entry 50 of the Union List, which specifies the forming of Acts and Rules, Specifications provided for Standards and International Relations, etc. Along with that, the enforcement of Legal Metrology is mentioned in Entry 33A of the Concurrent List.
Legal Metrology Rules under Legal Metrology Act
The following Rules are enforced in India that are to be enacted in accordance with the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 –
- The Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011
- The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011
- The Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules, 2011
- The Legal Metrology (National Standards) Rules, 2011
- The Legal Metrology (Numeration) Rules, 2011
- The Indian Institute of Legal Metrology Rules, 2011
- The Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Center) Rules, 2013
The Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011
The Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011 governs over forty various types of Weights and Measuring Devices, which includes devices such as electronic weighing devices, weighbridges, fuel pumps, etc. The Weights and Measurement devices are to be evaluated on a regular basis by the applicable State Government Authorised Personnel in accordance with the standards specified for Weights and Measures in the Rules.
The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011
The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, states the Rules for Pre-Packaged Commodities in India, which mandates the regulations for compliance with labelling standards prior to the sale of the packaged commodity.
In accordance with the Legal Metrology Rules for packaged Commodities, the following declarations mentioned below are required to mandatorily be mentioned in the labels of the Pre-Packaged Commodity –
- Name and Residential Address of the Manufacturer or Packager or Importer
- Country of origin if the Packaged Commodities is imported
- The Generic Name of the Packaged Commodities contained in the package
- Net quantity in accordance with the Standard Unit of Weight or Measurement or Number
- The Full Date of Manufacturing, Packaging and Importing
- Retail Sale Price to be specified in accordance with the Maximum Retail Price, which is also known as MRP that is Inclusive of all applicable taxes
- Consumer Care Contact Details
The Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules, 2011
The Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules, 2011 is outlined in accordance with the Central Government under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 that specifies the Standard measurement or numbers along with the procedure for the Pre-Packaged Commodities that are to bear the Assertions and other needed particulars.
The Legal Metrology (National Standards) Rules, 2011
The Legal Metrology (National Standards) Rules, 2011 was enacted to clarify the definitions of the terms mentioned below –
- The Specifications of the Base Units of Measurements along with the Base units of Mass
- Different Standards
- The required times of Verification for the Norms
The Legal Metrology (Numeration) Rules, 2011
The Legal Metrology (Numeration) Rules, 2011 was enacted to specify the numerical markings of the applicable weights and measurement instruments.
The Indian Institute of Legal Metrology Rules, 2011
The Indian Institute of Legal Metrology is situated in Ranchi, which is a Training Institute established for the training the Legal Metrology Officers from all States and Union Territories in the field of Legal Metrology with the authorisation of executive control of the department. Under the authorisation of the Indian Institute of Legal Metrology Rules[1], 2011, provisions in regard to the Courses are needed to be communicated at the Institute premises, mandating the obligations to be followed by the Institute. The Rules also specify the qualifications needed by any person to be eligible to get admitted to the Institute.
The Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Center) Rules, 2013
The Legal Metrology Rules for Government Approved Test Centers, which is also known as GATC, regulates over the approval process of the GATCs where the weights and measurement instruments are verified by the authorised State Governmental Officers. The specific regulations for the verification of weights and measurement instruments authorised under the GATC are mentioned below –
- Water Meters
- Sphygmomanometers
- Clinical Thermometers
- Automatic Rail Weighbridges
- Tape Measurements
- Non-Automatic Weighing Instrument of Accuracy Class-IIII or Class-III, which cannot weigh more than 150kgs
- Load Cells
- Beam Scales
- Counter Machines
- Weights of all possible Categories
Conclusion
The Legal Metrology Rules provide essential provisions that assist in ensuring the maintenance of all compliance measures necessary to be followed in accordance with the Standards set in the Legal Metrology Act, 2009. This ensures the consumers are protected from fraudulent activities and promoters fair trade business traders, retailers, manufacturers, packagers and the consumers.
Read our Article:Compliance under Legal Metrology – An Overview
