Legal Metrology Reforms Must Balance Ease Of Doing Business With Consumer Protection: Nidhi Khare
PHDCCI organised a national conference titled “Decriminalization and Reforms in Legal Metrology: Balance between Ease of Doing Business and Consumer Protection” on Wedesday at The Park, New Delhi.
The conference brought together policymakers, industry stakeholders, legal experts and consumer representatives to discuss reforms aimed at strengthening India’s Legal Metrology framework while supporting ease of doing business and protecting consumers.
Addressing the inaugural session, Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, highlighted the government’s efforts to make the regulatory framework more facilitative, proportionate and trust-based.
Khare said 20 provisions had been decriminalised under the Jan Vishwas reforms, including seven under Jan Vishwas 1.0 and 13 under Jan Vishwas 2.0. She clarified that decriminalisation did not mean deregulation, adding that serious violations such as short delivery and deliberate consumer fraud would continue to attract criminal action. Minor violations, however, could be addressed through improvement notices and graded penalties.
She also highlighted the establishment of around 51 Government Approved Testing Centres to enable faster and more predictable verification, the introduction of eight new rules governing measuring instruments, strengthening of software-testing infrastructure and measures for disseminating Indian Standard Time.
Khare referred to the Jan Sunwai helpdesk and said stakeholder queries received through the initiative had helped the Department develop clearer standard operating procedures, frequently asked questions and guidelines. She called for deeper engagement with industry and said Legal Metrology should function as a facilitative and collaborative framework while ensuring accurate measurement and protection of consumer rights.
Dr Ravi Gandhi, Chair, Retail, E-commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee, PHDCCI, and President, Reliance Retail Limited, called for a risk-based and proportionate regulatory framework suited to emerging business models such as e-commerce, quick commerce and digital marketplaces.
He proposed differentiating between minor procedural violations, material compliance failures and deliberate consumer fraud. While inadvertent errors should invite corrective measures, intentional violations must face stringent action, he said.
Gandhi also advocated technology-enabled and intelligence-led regulation through digital inspections, electronic certificates, QR-based systems, online registration, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. He called for greater harmonisation of regulatory practices across States and the creation of a single compliance window.
He identified proportionality, predictability, technology, accountability and consumer-first regulation as five guiding principles for Legal Metrology reforms. Decriminalisation, he said, should reduce the fear associated with honest mistakes without weakening deterrence against consumer fraud.
Dr Ranjeet Mehta, CEO and Secretary General, PHDCCI, said Legal Metrology affected almost every transaction in the economy, ranging from household purchases to sophisticated machinery and industrial equipment.
He said consumer rights must be strongly protected, but businesses operating ethically should not face an excessive regulatory burden for inadvertent or procedural errors. Such businesses should be provided an opportunity to rectify mistakes, while unethical practices and deliberate violations affecting consumers must continue to be effectively regulated, he added.
Dr Jatinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General, PHDCCI, said accurate measurement was fundamental to trust, fairness and economic justice throughout the value chain. He welcomed the Department of Consumer Affairs’ efforts to balance consumer protection, decriminalisation and economic growth. Singh called for stronger measurement systems, greater consistency in implementation and continued dialogue among the government, industry and consumers.
The conference also featured panel discussions on balancing ease of doing business with consumer protection and on Legal Metrology for online consumers. A fireside discussion titled “Empowering the Indian Consumer: Strengthening Consumer Rights in the Digital Age” was also held.
The sessions examined regulatory simplification, proportionate enforcement, consumer awareness, digital-market protections and technology-enabled compliance mechanisms for evolving business models. The discussions underlined the need for continued engagement among the government, industry and consumer representatives to develop a predictable and business-friendly Legal Metrology framework without compromising consumer protection.
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