Legal Metrology, Consumer Awareness Program

To protect the interests of the consumer, the legal metrology department plays an important role. Sometimes, protecting the consumer becomes quite difficult when the consumer is not aware of the product and its rights.

To stop the fraud with the consumer, the legal metrology department conducts various awareness programs and workshops in favour of the buyer where it tells the consumer about the product packages of commodities, LMPC declarations on package, and other mandatory things for the consumer to spread awareness among the consumer and to teach them about legal metrology and their rights while purchasing the commodity from the market, through online mode, or from e-commerce websites.

The Central Government has graded the penalty under legal metrology and the department also laid down certain rules and regulations for e-commerce websites to comply with so that no fraudulent activity will take place with the consumer through e-commerce websites as well, also the legal metrology department has served the notices to e-commerce firms .

Awareness program of consumer protection by Legal Metrology in MP

1. Recently, on April 17th, 2022, the Legal Metrology department held a consumer awareness program for the protection of consumers at the school in MP. After receiving the directions from the followings:
   1. Commissioner secretary of food,
   2. Jammu and Kashmir controller,
   3. Civil supplies and consumer affairs,
   4. Legal Metrology,
2. An awareness program on consumer protection was held in a government school, which is known as the Boys Higher Secondary School, MP.
3. On the occasion of this program, the audience was told about the followings:
   1. Rights of consumers;
   2. Precautions to be taken while receiving cooking gas from the person who is delivering the same or the distributor;
   3. Labelling norms on the prepackaged commodities;
   4. Online shopping from e-commerce websites or entities;
   5. Issues of the maximum retail price, etc.
4. Ms. Romana Quazi showed her gratitude to the legal metrology department for providing such information and initiating the conduct of the valuable program at the institute.
5. Almost every teacher raised several questions from the department, which were replied to convincingly by the senior officer of the department.
6. While the program was going on in this school, students were also asked to participate and have an interactive session while raising several queries about the Redressal Mechanism of Consumer Complaints.

Consumer Awareness by Legal Metrology Department

1. All weights and measures, weighing and measuring instruments used by the trader in their trade, commerce, and industry are required to be verified predictably and stamped by the inspector of legal metrology under the law. So here, it is necessary for the consumer to look for this stamp of verification on the weights and measures, etc. to know whether these certain weights and measures are correct or not.
2. Consumers should know that the trader in their trade of commerce and industry is required to use the beam scale suspended from a hook or stand to avoid manipulation by hand to his advantage.
3. The consumer should buy their requirements in round metric units like 10 grams, 100 grams, 500 grams, one kilogram, etc. This way, the calculation becomes easier and the consumer can protect himself from being fooled by the trader.
4. The consumer should avoid the use of “pao, kilo” or “quarter kilo” and should ask for 200 grams or 200ML or a similar, calculable quantity in terms of decimal units.
5. The consumer should buy milk in terms of liters or milliliters and not in kilograms or grams.
6. The consumer should learn to read the scale indication and observe the weighing of the purchases.
7. The consumer should be better by the definite quantities and not by the money’s worth.
8. The consumer, while buying milk, should see that they get the right quantity that they have paid for. A short delivery of milk due to form, etc. is a violation of the law.
9. Consumers while buying petrol from a petrol pump should check whether they are getting the proper quantity for which they are paying off, because that is also the violation for which recently several raids by Legal Metrology Department have been conducted by the legal metrology department, and the legal metrology department has seized several petrol pumps.
10. The consumer should refuse to buy any commodity in terms of old units, such as seer, feet, etc. This is illegal, and there is a very good chance that the trader may cheat on the consumer.
11. The consumer, while buying sweets, confectionery, etc., should insist on the full (net) weight of the suites being delivered to him. It should be seen that the weight of the box is not to be included in the weight of the package.
12. Petrol pumps are periodically checked by the legal metrology department for accurate delivery of petrol. In the case of suspected short delivery, the consumer should immediately report to the legal metrology department to take action against such a petrol pump.
13. When buying land or a plot for house building, the consumer should always buy in terms of hectares or square meters. Acres, yards, feet, and inches are no longer recognized under the law enforced.
14. While buying ready-made clothes, the consumer should always buy only the metric measurements, that is, in meters and centimeters, and not by size.
15. Different manufacturers may use different sizes. One will find himself the garments that do not fit him or her.
    1. Shirts are sold in collar sizes, where a buyer should buy a step of 1 centimeter.
    2. Banyans are sold by chest measurement, which varies in steps of five centimeters. For example, 85 centimeters, 90 centimeters, 95 centimeters, and so on.
16. While buying the packaged commodity, the consumer should ensure that the net weight of the commodity is as per the provision of LMPC declaration made on the package.
17. The consumer should read and compare the label quantities concerning price. This way, the consumer may strike a better bargain for himself or herself.
18. The consumer, while buying the packaged commodity, should check that on the package concerned the original marked prices are not smudged off or read them if they are fixed with a sticker with a freshly increased price.
19. The consumer, while buying packaged commodities, for example, cement, should ask for its weight again in his presence in case of doubt.
20. While buying LPG, the consumer should see and check that the net quantity of gas and weight of the cylinder is marked on the gas cylinder and that the seal is intact and not open. In case of any doubt or less quantity, the consumer may ask for reweight in his presence. Consumers must have a knowledge about the Cylindrical knob type weights under legal metrology.
21. The price of a commodity is determined not only by its quality but also by its quantity. The consumer should be sufficiently cautious and aware that he should get the full quantity worth paying for the commodity.