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In a major revamp of India's system for verifying and certifying weights and measures, the Department of Consumer Affairs has unveiled sweeping amendments to the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013, aimed at ensuring fair trade, protecting consumers, and making business easier by creating a wider, faster, and more transparent system for verification, IANS reported.

The scope of Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs) has been expanded to include 18 types of measuring instruments such as water meters, energy meters, gas meters, thermometers, flow meters, moisture meters, blood pressure monitors, and weighing scales.

New categories like speed guns, breath analysers, and multi-dimensional measuring instruments have also been added to keep pace with new technology and industrial needs. Officials said these changes are crucial for sectors like healthcare, transport, and energy--where accuracy in measurement directly affects safety, cost, and consumer confidence.

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The new structure allows private labs and industries to become GATCs together with government facilities. This transition is anticipated to be a major breakthrough in testing capacity, making it possible for industries to get their products tested faster and people getting verification services wherever they reside in the country.

The move not only directly backs the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative but also indirectly by making it easier for local testing plants to do their work and through public-private collaboration bringing India’s verification infrastructure up to the standard. The establishment of a unified, nationwide system for verifying consumer-facing instruments will be aided by the designation of the RRSLs and NTH labs as GATCs.

Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi said the overhaul marks a major step toward modernising India’s legal metrology ecosystem. “The amendment to the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules is a major step towards modernising India’s legal metrology ecosystem. It empowers industry participation, ensures accurate measurements for consumers, and strengthens the hands of our enforcement officers,” he said.

“With this reform, India is building a transparent, technology-driven, and self-reliant system of measurement verification that enhances fairness in trade and protects consumer rights.”