- Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare highlighted India’s reforms, digital transformation and international cooperation in legal metrology
- E‑measurement, government‑approved test centres and the ‘One Nation, One Time’ initiative are strengthening India’s legal metrology ecosystem
India is hosting the 61st meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) in New Delhi from 26 to 28 October 2026. This is the first time India is hosting this prestigious meeting of the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML), bringing together representatives, senior officials and technical experts from around the world to promote cooperation in measurement standards, consumer protection and fair trade
The programme opened today with an international symposium on ‘Developments in Legal Metrology’, followed by the first session of the 61st CIML meeting
CIML President Dr. Bob Joseph Matthew welcomed the international delegates and stressed the strategic importance of legal metrology in ensuring fair trade, protecting consumers and fostering international cooperation
Chairing the symposium, CIML First Vice‑President of Sweden Ms. Renée Hanson highlighted the evolving role of legal metrology in addressing digitisation, emerging technologies and changing market needs, and called for harmonised standards and close collaboration among member countries
Director of the International Bureau of Legal Metrology (BIML), Mr. Anthony Donelan, outlined OIML’s efforts to develop harmonised technical recommendations, facilitate mutual acceptance of test results through the OIML Certification System (OIML‑CS), and strengthen capacity building, also discussing emerging initiatives on machine‑readable standards, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation
Legal metrology reforms in India
Addressing the conference, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare welcomed the international delegates and expressed pride that India is hosting a CIML meeting for the first time, emphasizing that accurate, internationally harmonised measurement underpins fair trade, consumer confidence, industrial innovation and economic growth
Speaking on India’s commitment to consumer protection and business facilitation, the Secretary cited trust‑building reforms for 2023‑2026, including de‑categorising specified offences, issuing improvement notices and scaling penalties to the severity of violations, aimed at a more proportionate, business‑friendly regulatory framework while preserving essential consumer safeguards
She highlighted the expansion of government‑approved test centres (GATC) to boost verification capacity and the development of the e‑measurement national portal to provide integrated digital services, noting India’s recognition as an issuing authority under OIML‑CS – a key step toward mutual acceptance of test results and greater access for Indian manufacturers to global markets
The Secretary also spoke about the national time‑distribution project ‘One Nation, One Time’, intended to deliver precise, reliable and traceable Indian Standard Time (IST) nationwide, strengthening time synchronisation for banking, telecom, 5G networks, navigation, digital infrastructure and power systems
Reaffirming India’s commitment to international cooperation, Ms. Khare stressed the importance of adopting emerging technologies and building a transparent, efficient legal metrology system that meets future needs
Seminar highlighted reforms and emerging technologies
During the seminar, Director (Legal Metrology) of the Consumer Affairs Department, Mr. Ashutosh Agarwal, presented on ‘Development and Reform of Legal Metrology in India’, tracing the evolution of standardised weight‑and‑measure from ancient civilizations to the modern legal metrology framework
The presentation highlighted key initiatives aimed at simplifying compliance processes, strengthening verification infrastructure and modernising regulatory services, including government‑approved test centres, e‑measurement portal, regulation of packaged goods, national time‑distribution project, regional reference standard laboratories and the Indian Legal Metrology Institute in Ranchi
Experts from various countries presented on emerging challenges and opportunities in legal metrology, discussing measurement requirements for electric‑vehicle charging equipment, mutual recognition of conformity assessment, digital transformation, stakeholder awareness and capacity building
Specialists deliberated on OIML’s Smart Recommendations initiative to develop machine‑readable technical standards and examined potential AI and digital technology applications in measurement and verification systems, underscoring the role of harmonised standards in reducing technical trade barriers and bolstering consumer confidence
Further deliberations on international cooperation
The OIML Strategy Workshop will be held on 27 October 2026, followed by the second session of the CIML meeting, which will continue until 28 October 2026 to discuss priorities in international legal metrology and cooperation among member states
Hosting the 61st CIML meeting showcases India’s growing role in international legal metrology and its commitment to accurate measurement, consumer protection, fair trade and globally harmonised standards
The three‑day programme includes a symposium on ‘Developments in Legal Metrology’ covering digitisation of regulatory services, international recognition of measurement equipment and e‑learning; the OIML Strategy Workshop is scheduled for 27 October, after which representatives will visit the CSIR‑National Physical Laboratory (NPL) on 28 October to learn about its role in maintaining national measurement standards
The deliberations reaffirm India’s and the global legal metrology community’s shared commitment to precise measurement, transparent regulation, consumer trust and smooth international trade, aiming to strengthen legal metrology as a cornerstone for innovation, economic growth and the vision of a developed India by 2047