Govt strengthens legal metrology with 40 new GATC certificates : Pralhad Joshi

New Delhi: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday said that the Department of Consumer Affairs has strengthened India's legal metrology verification infrastructure by issuing 40 Government Approved Test Centre (GATC) certificates to eligible private entities.

Joshi was addressing the commemoration of World Metrology Day 2026, observed on May 20 to mark the 151st anniversary of the historic Metre Convention signed in Paris on May 20, 1875.

The theme for this year is “Metrology: Building Trust in Policy Making.”

In his virtual address, the Minister highlighted several key reforms undertaken by the department to modernise regulations and improve ease of doing business. These include the decriminalisation of minor offences under the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026, introduction of improvement notices for certain minor violations, and the transition from a licensing regime to a registration-based system.

Joshi also announced the launch of the e-Maap portal, 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 activities at both central and state levels.

Referring to the ‘One Nation, One Time’ initiative, Joshi said the project is being implemented in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and ISRO to disseminate Indian Standard Time (IST) across the country with high precision.

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare emphasised the government’s commitment to adopting modern technology for upgrading testing and measurement systems.

She said the department has notified rules for breath analysers, moisture meters, gas meters, and radar equipment for measuring the speed of vehicles.