India Celebrates Metrology Day

Ø Government Strengthens Legal Metrology Infrastructure with 40 GATC Certificates and Launch of e-Maap Digital Portal

Ø Jan Vishwas Reform Decriminalize Minor offences under Legal Metrology Act and Introduce Improvement Notices for certain Violations

Key Highlights

· India celebrated World Metrology Day 2026 on 20 May, marking the 151st anniversary of the historic Metre Convention signed in Paris in 1875.

· The 2026 theme was “Metrology: Building Trust in Policy Making.”

· Pralhad Joshi emphasized that accurate measurement systems are essential for fair trade, consumer protection, healthcare, environmental monitoring and transparent governance.

· The Government strengthened legal metrology infrastructure by issuing 40 Government Approved Test Centre (GATC) certificates to private entities to expand verification capacity.

· Under the Jan Vishwas reforms, minor offences under the Legal Metrology Act were decriminalized and improvement notices introduced for certain violations to promote ease of doing business.

· The Department launched the e-Maap portal, a unified digital platform for registration, verification, model approvals and enforcement services under Legal Metrology.

· India became the 13th country authorized to issue OIML pattern approval certificates, boosting exports of weighing and measuring instruments.

· Software Testing Facilities for weighing and measuring instruments were established at Regional Reference Standard Laboratories in collaboration with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing under the “Make in India” initiative.

· The “One Nation, One Time” initiative is being implemented with National Physical Laboratory and Indian Space Research Organisation to disseminate highly precise Indian Standard Time nationwide.

· B. L. Verma highlighted the role of accurate measurements in food, fuel, medicines, electricity and packaged commodities.

· New standards for non-invasive blood pressure monitors were introduced in January 2026 to improve medical device accuracy and public safety.

· Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya stressed the importance of reliable measurements in evidence-based policymaking and consumer confidence.

· Nidhi Khare highlighted new rules for Breath Analyzers, Moisture Meters, Gas Meters and Radar Equipment for vehicle speed measurement.

· Technical sessions featured experts from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, International Organization of Legal Metrology and Switzerland discussing global best practices in metrology.

· India will host the 61st Meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology in New Delhi in October 2026.

[ABS News Service/21.05.2026]

The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, on 20 May, 2026 commemorated World Metrology Day 2026, marking the 151st anniversary of the historic Metre Convention signed in Paris on 20th May 1875. The theme of this year’s World Metrology Day is “Metrology: Building Trust in Policy Making”.

The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, in his virtual address highlighted the vital role of metrology in ensuring fairness, consumer protection, scientific reliability and transparent governance. Referring to this year’s theme, the Minister emphasized that accurate and reliable measurements form the backbone of effective public policy, trade, healthcare, environmental protection and industrial growth.

The Union Minister stated that the Department has strengthened India’s legal metrology verification infrastructure by issuing 40 Government Approved Test Centre (GATC) certificates to eligible private entities, marking a significant step towards expanding the country’s verification capacity.

Highlighting the Government’s vision of trust-based and technology-driven governance, Pralhad Joshi underlined several key reforms undertaken by the Department of Consumer Affairs. These include the decriminalization of minor offences under the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, introduction of improvement notices for certain minor violations, and transition from a licensing regime to a registration-based system for improving ease of doing business.

The Minister further informed that the e-Maap portal has been launched as a unified digital platform for registration and enforcement-related services under Legal Metrology. The portal will facilitate services such as verification of weights and measures, registrations, model approvals and enforcement-related activities at both Centre and State levels.

Mr. Pralhad Joshi also stated that India has become the 13th country authorized to issue OIML pattern approval certificates, thereby strengthening India’s global standing and supporting exports of weighing and measuring instruments. He further highlighted that Software Testing Facilities for weighing and measuring instruments have been established at Regional Reference Standard Laboratories (RRSLs) in collaboration with C-DAC to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities and enhance global competitiveness under the “Make in India” initiative.

Referring to the Indian Standard Time dissemination initiative, the Minister stated that the project is being implemented in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and ISRO. The “One Nation, One Time” initiative aims to disseminate Indian Standard Time (IST) across the country with high precision through RRSLs.

B. L. Verma, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, in his keynote address highlighted the importance of accurate measurement systems in ensuring fairness, transparency and trust in governance and trade. He stated that accurate measurements directly impact the daily lives of citizens in areas such as food, fuel, medicines, electricity and packaged commodities, thereby strengthening consumer confidence and promoting fair business practices.

The Minister also highlighted the introduction of standards for non-invasive sphygmomanometers (blood pressure monitors) in January 2026 to improve accuracy and public safety in medical devices. He appreciated the contribution of industries, manufacturers, consumer organizations, testing laboratories, academic institutions and State Legal Metrology Departments in strengthening the measurement ecosystem in the country.

Smt. Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, addressing the occasion stated that the theme of this year’s celebration reflects the growing importance of reliable and accurate measurements in evidence-based policymaking, consumer protection and transparent governance.

The Minister appreciated the efforts of Legal Metrology Departments across States and Union Territories in ensuring fair trade practices and consumer protection. She also acknowledged the contribution of industries, manufacturers, testing laboratories, consumer organizations, academic institutions and other stakeholders associated with metrology for strengthening compliance, quality standards and consumer confidence in the country.

Smt. Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, highlighted the steady growth of Legal Metrology in India and emphasized the need for hassle-free compliance mechanisms, system improvements and industry-friendly regulations through voluntary compliance by business associations. She reaffirmed the Government’s commitment towards adopting modern technology for upgrading testing and measurement systems.

She informed that the Department has notified rules for Breath Analyzers, Moisture Meters, Gas Meters and Radar Equipment for measuring speed of vehicles. She also highlighted the progress of the Indian Standard Time dissemination project being implemented in association with CSIR-NPL and ISRO, and emphasized the importance of the e-Maap portal and other digital initiatives for building trust in measurement systems.

Anupam Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, welcomed the participants and highlighted the significance of World Metrology Day, observed annually on the anniversary of the historic Metre Convention signed on 20th May 1875.

The programme was followed by a technical session featuring national and international experts on emerging developments and global best practices in metrology and standardization.

Prof. (Dr.) Amitava Sen Gupta, Retd. Officiating Director, NPL India, delivered a presentation on global management of Standard Time and highlighted the role of CSIR-NPL in maintaining Indian Standard Time (IST) with extremely high accuracy through advanced atomic clock technologies and international synchronization systems.

Dr. Sunil K. Singh, Scientist, BARC, delivered a presentation on “Ionizing Radiation Metrology: Strengthening National Health and Safety Policies” and highlighted India’s growing capabilities in radiation measurement standards and safety systems through the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the designated institute for ionizing radiation metrology in India.

Dr. Bobjoseph Mathew, CIML President, in his presentation on “Legal Metrology in Switzerland” highlighted Switzerland’s transparent legal metrology framework and its role in ensuring accuracy, fairness and consumer trust in trade and commerce.

Anthony Donnellan, Director, OIML, emphasized the importance of accurate and reliable measurements in policymaking, consumer protection, healthcare, trade and environmental monitoring. He also appreciated India’s growing leadership in international standard-setting and welcomed India’s hosting of the 61st Meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology in New Delhi in October 2026.

Ashutosh Agarwal, Director (Legal Metrology), summarized the deliberations and delivered the vote of thanks.

The World Metrology Day celebration concluded with a reaffirmed commitment towards building a modern, efficient and trusted measurement system in the country.