The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 (‘LMA’) was introduced in order to safeguard consumer interests and rights. Effective April 01, 2011, LMA establishes and enforces standards for packaged products. Legal Metrology Registration law is applicable to all packaged products which are manufactured/imported and sold in ‘packed form’ in the Indian market.
Products which pertain to the “weight & measures” category like weighing machine, and thermometer, fall under the category of Weights & Measure which needs to take four different registrations from the legal metrology registration department, i.e.
Products that are not falling under the category of the “Weights & Measure Certificate” category need to take only the ‘Packaged Commodity Registration' from the department.
Legal Metrology treats units of weight and measurement, methods of weighing and measurement, and weighing and measuring instruments in relation to the mandatory technical and legal requirements which have the object of ensuring public guarantee from the point of view of security and accuracy of weighing and measurement.
In order to ensure uniform enforcement of laws related to matters in Legal Metrology throughout the country, the Govt. has enacted:
(1) The Legal Metrology Act, 2009
(2) The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011
(3) The Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011, and
(4) The Meghalaya Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules,2011.
The controller of the Legal Metrology Department is the competent authority to grant the legal metrology license. Application for a license should be submitted to the Inspector of Legal metrology who will inspect the firm and forward the same to the Controller of Legal Metrology with recommendations for consideration.
All pre-packaged commodities except otherwise exempted from the rules are covered under the Rules. The exemption is given for drugs, fast food items, and packaged commodities sold in packages up to 10g or 10ml.
No, Weights & Measure Certificate shall be sold or offered, exposed or possessed for sale or used or kept for use in any transaction or for protection unless it has been verified & stamped that too by a licensed manufacturer/dealer of Legal Metrology Officer.
Every weight & measure is manufactured as per the specification and model laid down by the Govt. of India. Weights & Measure Certificate used by the traders are verified & stamped by the Inspector of the legal metrology registration department, after due verification, with a seal for ensuring the integrity of the stamp of the Inspector and the quarter in which it is verified.
Pre-packaged commodity" means any commodity which, is placed in a package without the purchaser being present, of whatever nature, whether sealed or not, so that the product contained therein has a pre-determined quantity is a pre-packed commodity.
Yes, the Rules are applicable both to imported Packages as wells as the indigenous packages.
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