Ø Eligible Organisations Encouraged to
Apply for Recognition as Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs): Applications
Open Till 31 August 2026
Ø 51 GATCs
already recognised | Verification scope expanded to 23 categories
Ø More
Verification Capacity • Faster Services • Better Consumer Protection
·
GATC
applications invited: The
Department of Consumer Affairs has invited online applications from eligible industries, laboratories, engineering
colleges, polytechnics, ITIs and testing facilities for
recognition as Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs).
·
Application
deadline:
Applications can be submitted online from 17 August to 31 August 2026, with the
deadline at 5:00 PM on
August 31, 2026.
·
Digital
application process: The GATC
online portal enables online
applications, fee payments, application tracking and communication,
reducing the need for physical visits.
·
51
GATCs already recognised:
The Department is expanding the network beyond the 51 centres currently recognised
to provide businesses with verification facilities closer to their locations.
·
Private-sector
participation: The
initiative allows technically qualified private institutions to undertake verification and re-verification
of specified weights and measures used in trade and commerce.
·
23
categories covered:
Recent amendments have expanded the GATC framework to cover 23 categories,
including:
o Water and gas meters
o Sphygmomanometers and clinical
thermometers
o Rail weighbridges and weighing instruments
o Tape measures, load cells and beam scales
o Energy and moisture meters
o Vehicle speed meters and breath analysers
o Flow meters and multi-dimensional
measuring instruments
o Petrol, diesel, CNG, LPG, LNG and hydrogen dispensers
·
Fuel
measurement strengthened:
Inclusion of petrol,
diesel, CNG, LPG, LNG and hydrogen dispensers will expand
verification capacity for fuel dispensing systems and improve accuracy and
transparency in fuel transactions.
·
Ease
of Doing Business: A
larger GATC network will give manufacturers, traders and users faster and more accessible verification
services, reducing compliance time.
·
Reduced
burden on government officers:
Wider availability of approved centres will allow State Legal Metrology
Officers to focus more on market
surveillance, enforcement and consumer grievance redressal.
·
Eligibility
requirements:
Applicants must have prescribed testing
and calibration equipment traceable to national standards, qualified technical
personnel and required infrastructure under the GATC Rules.
·
Public-private
partnership: The
framework brings qualified laboratories, industries and educational/testing
institutions into the Legal Metrology verification ecosystem while retaining
government regulatory oversight.
·
Consumer
protection: Wider
and faster verification will help ensure accurate
measurements in commercial transactions, strengthening consumer
confidence.
·
Broader
policy objective: The
reform supports Ease of
Doing Business, digital governance, Atmanirbhar Bharat and stronger quality
infrastructure, while aligning measurement practices with
internationally accepted standards.
·
Key
takeaway: The
Government is expanding the Legal Metrology verification ecosystem by
encouraging qualified institutions to become GATCs, with the 23-category scope and digital
application system aimed at faster compliance, wider industry access and
stronger consumer protection.
The Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry
of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, has invited online applications
from eligible industries, laboratories, engineering colleges, polytechnics, ITIs
and testing facilities for recognition as Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs)
under the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013.
With the application window currently
open, eligible organisations are encouraged to submit their applications through
the Department's online portal emaap.gov.in/gatc before the deadline of 31 August 2026,
up to 5:00 PM. The portal provides a completely digital process for submission
of applications, payment of fees, tracking of application status and communication
with applicants, making the process simpler, transparent and business-friendly.
The Department
has earlier provided detailed information on the GATC framework, its expanded scope
and the benefits of wider access to verification services.
Expanding verification capacity through
wider participation
The GATC initiative is aimed at expanding
India's verification ecosystem by enabling technically competent private sector
institutions to participate in the verification and re-verification of specified
weights and measures used in trade and commerce.
As on date, 51 GATCs have already been
recognised. The Department is now further expanding the network so that businesses
have greater access to verification facilities closer to their locations, reducing
turnaround time and facilitating faster compliance.
The initiative will also complement the
efforts of State Legal Metrology Departments. With more approved centres available
for verification services, State Legal Metrology Officers can focus more on market
surveillance, enforcement and consumer grievance redressal.
23 categories of weights and measures
now covered
Following recent amendments to the GATC
Rules, recognised GATCs can undertake verification and re-verification of 23 categories
of weights and measures covering important sectors such as healthcare, energy, transport,
retail, manufacturing and infrastructure. These include:
(i) Water meters
(ii) Sphygmomanometers
(iii) Clinical thermometers
(iv) Automatic rail weighbridges
(v) Tape measures
(vi) Non-automatic weighing instruments
of Accuracy Class III (up to 150 kg)
(vii) Non-automatic weighing instruments
of Accuracy Class IIII
(viii) Load cells
(ix) Beam scales
(x) Counter machines
(xi) Weights of all categories
(xii) Gas meters
(xiii) Energy meters
(xiv) Moisture meters
(xv) Vehicle speed meters
(xvi) Breath analysers
(xvii) Multi-dimensional measuring instruments
(xviii) Flow meters
(xix) Petrol and diesel dispensers
(xx) CNG dispensers
(xxi) LPG dispensers
(xxii) LNG dispensers
(xxiii) Hydrogen dispensers.
The inclusion of petrol, diesel, CNG,
LPG, LNG and hydrogen dispensers is part of the recent expansion of the GATC framework.
This will help strengthen verification capacity for fuel dispensing systems and
support accurate measurement and transparency in fuel transactions.
A simpler route for industry
The expansion of GATCs is an important
Ease of Doing Business reform. Instead of relying only on limited departmental facilities
for verification, manufacturers, traders and users can increasingly access approved
technical facilities through the expanding GATC network.
The digital application system further
simplifies the process by enabling applicants to apply online, make payments digitally
and track their applications without the need for repeated physical visits to Government
offices.
Eligible organisations are required to
have the prescribed testing and calibration equipment traceable to national standards,
qualified technical personnel and the infrastructure specified under the GATC Rules.
Partnership for stronger legal metrology
services
The GATC framework represents a partnership
approach in Legal Metrology. By bringing technically capable laboratories, industries,
educational and testing institutions into the verification ecosystem, the Government
is increasing the availability of reliable verification services while maintaining
the regulatory oversight prescribed under the Legal Metrology framework.
This approach will help create a larger,
more accessible and responsive verification network, benefiting both businesses
and consumers.
Faster compliance, reliable measurements
and consumer protection
Accurate weights and measures are essential
for fair transactions and consumer confidence. A wider network of GATCs will help
make verification and re-verification services more accessible
and timely, thereby supporting businesses in meeting their regulatory requirements
while ensuring that measurements used in commercial transactions remain accurate
and reliable.
The reform therefore seeks to achieve
a balance between Ease of Doing Business and consumer protection, making compliance
easier for honest businesses while strengthening confidence in measurements used
in everyday transactions.
The Department's GATC reforms are also
aligned with its broader efforts towards digital governance, Atmanirbhar Bharat
and strengthening India's quality infrastructure, including alignment with internationally
accepted measurement practices.
Applications remain open till 31 August
2026
Eligible organisations interested in becoming
Government Approved Test Centres may submit their applications online through emaap.gov.in/gatc.
Application period: 17 August 2026 to 31 August 2026
Last date/time: 31 August 2026, up to 5:00 PM
Detailed eligibility conditions, prescribed
requirements and the application process are available on the portal. Eligible organisations
are encouraged to complete the application process before the deadline. With 51
GATCs already recognised and the verification scope expanded to 23 categories, the
Department is further widening India's measurement verification network to provide
industry with easier access to services, faster compliance and consumers with greater
confidence in the accuracy of commercial measurements.