ITANAGAR, Sep 25: The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, in collaboration with the Dept of Legal Metrology (LM), GoAP, conducted a one-day Regional (North East) Conference of Controllers, Legal Metrology Officers and representatives of Industry Associations on ‘Legal Metrology Reforms and Effective Implementation of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026’ here today.
The conference brought together representatives from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, senior LM officers and representatives of Industry Associations to deliberate upon the implementation of recent reforms in Legal Metrology and to develop a more facilitative, transparent, technology-driven and uniform regulatory framework across States.
The conference emphasized the critical role of State Governments as the principal enforcement agencies in translating the reforms into outcomes at the ground level. States were encouraged to align their Legal Metrology Enforcement Rules with the amended Legal Metrology Act, 2009; adopt Improvement Notices in their true spirit; eliminate redundant permissions and compliances; accelerate digital implementation; and share best practices for greater uniformity in enforcement across the country.
In his keynote address, Anupam Mishra, Additional Secretary (Consumer Affairs), Government of India, highlighted that Legal Metrology lies at the heart of everyday economic activity by ensuring accuracy, fairness and trust in transactions. He stated that the ongoing reforms are aimed at shifting the regulatory framework from permission- and compliance-oriented processes towards trust, facilitation, technology and effective consumer protection. He underlined that the Department's approach is guided by the spirit of ‘Reform, Perform, Transform and Inform’ - reforming outdated regulatory processes, ensuring effective performance and delivery, transforming services through technology, and informing consumers and businesses of their rights and responsibilities. He stressed that Ease of Doing Business requires regulation to be proportionate, predictable and transparent, with consumer protection remaining at its core.
As part of the technical deliberations, Mishra also made a detailed presentation on ‘Legal Metrology Reforms: Ease of Doing Business, Consumer Protection and Effective Enforcement’.
The presentation also highlighted the strengthening of the Government Approved Test Centre (GATC) framework, under which the number of categories of weights and measures that can be verified by GATCs has increased from 10 to 23. It was informed that 51 GATCs have been approved and around 92,000 verification certificates have been issued, thereby expanding verification capacity and facilitating industry.
Mishra also highlighted the e-Maap digital platform as an important initiative for bringing greater transparency, uniformity and efficiency to Legal Metrology administration. He further elaborated on the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, notified on 27 August 2026, which provide a framework for a unified and traceable Indian Standard Time as the standard reference for civil, commercial and legal purposes across India, with nationwide dissemination through CSIR-NPL, Regional Reference Standards Laboratories, ISRO and other authorised timing sources.
The deliberations reaffirmed the approach of “Compliance through Trust, Enforcement through Risk and Consumer Protection through Technology.”
Earlier, Mige Kamki, Secretary Legal Metrology & Consumer Affairs (GoAP), in his welcome address, emphasised the need for close coordination among the North-Eastern States for uniform implementation of the amended provisions, greater use of digital platforms and sharing of field-level best practices. He also highlighted that simplified procedures, capacity building of enforcement officers and effective use of technology would help improve compliance, service delivery and consumer confidence across the region.
Senior Legal Metrology officers from the participating Northeastern States attended the conference, including, Minte Siga, Controller, Legal Metrology & Consumer Affairs (GoAP); Yumnam Nelson, Controller Legal Metrology, Manipur; and H K Thabah, Controller Legal Metrology, Meghalaya. Mitali Namchoom, Director, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, also attended the conference along with senior officers of the Legal Metrology Division, Government of India. The other participating States were represented by senior officers of their respective Legal Metrology/Consumer Affairs Departments.