Fix first-time lapses, face action later: Centre eases metrology rules

The Department of Consumer Affairs on Monday said it has introduced an "Improvement Notice" mechanism under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, allowing businesses to rectify first-time procedural non-compliances before facing penal action.

The change has been effected through the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, as part of the government's Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) agenda.

Under the mechanism, a Legal Metrology Officer detecting a specified first-time procedural or regulatory lapse may issue an Improvement Notice, identifying the deficiency and providing a reasonable time to correct it. If the entity complies within the prescribed period, penal proceedings can be avoided.

"Failure to comply with the Improvement Notice or repeated non-compliance will continue to attract action in accordance with the provisions of the Legal Metrology Act," the department said in a statement.

The reform applies to manufacturers, importers, packers, dealers, repairers, traders, MSMEs and other regulated entities operating under the Act.

The department clarified that the mechanism does not dilute consumer protection or weaken enforcement. Strict action will continue against fraud, tampering, repeated violations, and other acts that adversely affect consumer interests, it said.

The Improvement Notice covers first-time non-compliances relating to registration requirements, documentation, model approval, manufacture, sale and repair of weights and measures, imports, transactions in packaged commodities and furnishing of statutory information and returns.

The government said the reform is aimed at encouraging voluntary compliance, reducing unnecessary litigation, lowering compliance costs, and improving regulatory certainty for industry.

"The reform strikes a balanced approach by supporting honest businesses in achieving compliance while preserving the integrity of the legal metrology system," the department said.

The reform is intended to allow enforcement authorities to focus resources on deliberate and repeated violations that affect consumer interests, it added.