The Directorate of Legal Metrology Act registration as a separate wing was formed by the department of consumer affairs, food, and public distribution. The Directorate of Legal Metrology ensures compliance with Legal Metrology rules and acts. The main and primary purpose of the legal metrology act is to protect the rights and interests of the consumer. And another purpose of the ACT is to reduce and manage the ill effects of weights and measurement errors. Application for LMPC Registration or LMPC License have to file with the controller of legal metrology.
The headquarters of Legal Metrology is in Delhi and the other offices of Legal Metrology are situated in every state of the country which is delegated by the headquarter of Delhi for compliance with the legal metrology act and rules.
Legal Metrology Act Registration For Business
- Several business organizations need to go through the weights and measurement process for better business performance. To ensure better business performance without any hindrance, the government has introduced the Legal Metrology Act.
- The Legal Metrology Act aims to maintain clarity and transparency in the business between the seller and buyer or the business and consumer. The Legal Metrology Act helps to reduce the ill effects of weights and measurement errors and manages the same.
- It provides the definitions of
- weighing and measuring instruments,
- standards and compulsory requirements, and
- Units to ensure public guarantee from the business.
- It also provides the accuracy and security of weights and measures for the public. The Legal Metrology Act came into force on 1st April 2021 and it says it acts to establish and enforce standards of weights and measures, regulate trade and commerce in weights and measures, and other goods which are sold or distributed by weights measures or a number and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
- The government of India defines the legal metrology standards and implements the same through the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
- The central jurisdiction is presented by the Legal Metrology Act 2009. Every state in India has a legal metrology office under the legal metrology officer who takes care of the implementation of the act as per the rules and regulations laid down by the state government for legal metrology.
Why is Legal Metrology Act Registration Necessary?
Registration under legal metrology plays an important role in India’s trade practice. Effective trade is the one that has transparency and creates a balance between the seller, or trader, and the consumer, or customer. Several necessities for legal metrology registration are given below.
Building trust in the consumer
- Registration under legal metrology helps to trust in the consumer for the business and trade of the commodity or weights and measures.
- When the product is verified under the rules and regulations, it can be trusted by the consumer easily.
- Consumers trust the products that are registered under the act and the rules. It protects the rights and interests of the consumer.
- It provides transparency to the consumer and helps the consumer trust the product or any commodity or weights and measures.
Support to Trade
- Registration under legal metrology provides support to the trade or business dealing in the market with the consumer. As the act ensures reliability in the measuring instrument.
- The act also ensures measuring instruments are reliable and in a working state so that they can serve the best purpose. It should meet international standards.
- The Legal metrology act ensures to stop unfair or unlawful trade practices in the market.
Reduces Technical Barriers to Trade
The legal metrology act reduces the burden of trade in regards to the following:
- Promoting the business,
- Clarity of measurement, and
- Technical barriers.
It encourages trade or business to participate in the global trade system. The Act also increases national economic growth. The legal metrology act helps the traders to avoid unnecessary barriers and other problems in
- The process of business and adoption,
- Standard and conformity assessment procedure, and
- Application of technical regulations.
Reduces Transaction Costs
- Poor measurement practices are usually time-consuming and more costly. It impacts both the consumer and the business.
- Trade which shows the audacity of breaking the measurement laws bears the legal consequences of their actions, and they get charged with a high amount of fine. However, the measurements are done accurately and correctly by implementing all the norms of legal metrology, which leads to a reduction in time and cost.
Collect the Government Revenue
- The government of India and the governments of every state of India collects the revenue through the excise duty imposed on the products they sold, produced, export, import, and tax on measurement.
- However, the legal metrology act ensures that no injustice is done to both the government and business while paying the tax.
- The deal for the mass item could be a huge segment for both national pay and export. However, the exception to this is timber, coffee, oil, iron minerals, jewels, gold, coal, rice, and other natural gasses.
Smooth run of business
- The legal metrology act is in favor of the general public to protect their rights in interest, but when it comes to business, it also provides various reliefs to the business and trade as it ensures the smooth run of business without any problems or unnecessary hindrance.
- Smooth running of the business will be provided by the legal metrology act only if the business is registered under the legal metrology act, in case it deals in weights and measures or other feedback commodities.
- The act ensures that the committee should be registered under the legal metrology act and the manufacturer should also be registered if he deals in weights and measures. Manufacturer must get himself registered and get the LMPC License for manufacturer.
- The act ensures that every importer and exporter who imports and exports weights and measures inside and outside the country should be registered under the legal metrology act.
- Any manufacturer, importer, packer, dealer, or seller of the commodity must get himself registered under the legal metrology act, and the person can register himself online and offline by both the modes. In India, there are several legal metrology offices situated in various parts of the country.
- The legal metrology officer conducts the inspection, and raids, and keeps on checking the business activities as per the legal metrology act. The legal metrology officer has the right to suspend the license of the manufacturer, importer, dealer, pattern, or seller of the commodity in the event of any wrong or false declaration having been made by the applicant, or if the applicant has not complied with the rules and regulations of legal metrology act in a proper and prescribed manner.
