Legal Metrology department- Notice to E-commerce Firm
In 2021, the government sent approximately 183 notices to e-commerce firms for violating this provision by not mentioning the country of origin on the website. A heavy fine has been imposed on the e-commerce firms for false offenses committed by them.
BIS and LMPC Certificate
Introduction
The BIS certificate and the LMPC
certificate are provided to the manufacturer, importer, or dealer of the
commodity. It provides authority and provides permission to the manufacturer or
importer of the commodity to sell the commodity to the customers. Obtaining the
certificate ensures compliance with the act and protects the interests of the
consumer.
Importance of Legal Metrology Registration for Business
LMPC registration plays an important role for every business or trade that deals in weights and measures, or pre-packaged commodities in the Indian market. It is important not only for the manufacturer, importer, packer, or seller of the weights and measures, or pre-packed commodities; it also enhances the scope and power of the business or trade in the Indian market.
Provisions for Legal Metrology Declarations
Legal Metrology packaging rules provide the various provisions related to declarations to be made on the packaging of the commodity. The act provides the various rules and guidelines related to the declarations on various kinds of commodities by the manufacturer, importer, packer, and seller of the commodity. It tells how the declaration on the package has to be made in a certain form. All such provisions of the declarations are given below.
Weights and Measures Under Legal Metrology
Inspection of Documents for LMPC License Renewal
The Legal Metrology Act lays down the procedure for submitting the documents. Any manufacturer, repairer, or dealer who wishes to deal in weights and measures has to submit the documents.
NIRYAT Launched By Prime Minister Narender Modi for Foreign Trade
The Prime Minister announced the NIRYAT portal to analyse import-export data, provide stakeholders with convenient access to foreign trade information.
On Thursday, June 23, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the NIRYAT platform, which will only deal with India's import and export analysis. After unveiling the platform prime minister said that the government has created NIRYAT, or the National Import-Export Record for Yearly Analysis of Trade, to give essential real-time data to all stakeholders.
Proposed amendments to decriminalize the Legal Metrology Provision
Certain amendments have been proposed to decriminalize the provision of legal metrology, and those proposed amendments include the following areas:.
Punishment for use of False Weight or Measure Under IPC
These disputes are majorly handled by the legal metrology officers of the legal metrology department. But the dispute, which arises because of the use of the wrong weight and measure and with the intent to cheat the customer, is under the IPC and the trial of such offenses is initiated in the court of the magistrate.
Legal Metrology Act, Decriminalization
Online License Renewal Under Legal Metrology
Every manufacturer or importer has the LMPC license while dealing in weight and measure in the Indian market. However, the license is valid only for a certain time. Every importer or manufacturer has to get their license renewed from the respective authority, and the renewal of the license takes place from time to time whenever the expiry date of the license is near. There is a certain procedure to get the license renewed through the online mode, also known as the online renewal of a license under the legal metrology act.
How to Apply for an Online Renewal of a License?
There is a specified procedure given for the renewal of the license. The very first step for the applicant, who can be the manufacturer or importer of the commodity, is to apply for the renewal of the license, and the procedure of renewal is given in the following steps:
- The very first step for the applicant is to fill out the application form, which is provided on the portal of legal metrology of the state government.
- Attach all the documents required to get your license renewed under legal metrology.
- On display, the acknowledgment number of the application tracking will be shown. You have to note that acknowledgment number for future reference and after that,
- The last step is to submit the application form on the portal itself.
In the case of auto-renewal, the license will be issued immediately upon the payment of the necessary fee.
Documents for Renewal of a License
As we have mentioned above, in these steps of the online renewal procedure, the applicant has to submit the relevant documents required to get his license renewed. All such required documents to be submitted by the applicant are given below:
- Copy of certificate of approval of models
- Certificate copy of the approval of models by the Government of India
- Identity proof, such as pan card voter ID card, identity documents, etc.
- Labor license
- Original license
- Records of weight and measures
- The Register of weights and measures
- Ownership documents such as lease agreements, leave and license agreements, ownership documents of the premises, and lease deeds.
All the documents mentioned above are necessary for the applicant to keep them handy so that, without wasting time, he will fill out the application form and submit all the required documents on the portal of legal metrology to get the license renewed.
Declarations for License Renewal
The applicant should deposit the scheduled license as per the rules and regulations of the state and the guidelines under the act to the subtreasury or bank, and the original challan should be enclosed with the application.
Read More: Power of Inspector of Headquarters of Legal Metrology
Legal Metrology Model Approval Fee
The Legal Metrology Act prescribed the fee for the model approval. However, the applicant even paid the fee through the online mode of payment and also pay the online fee for the laboratories for testing weight and measure, or weighing and measuring the instrument.
For every kind of permission, approval, or renewal, the fee is still to be paid by the applicant as per the rules and regulations of the legal metrology act. Under the legal metrology department before taking the model approval or filing the application for the model approval, the applicant must check out their fee for such approval, and it is pertinent to mention that without paying the prescribed fee, the procedure for the approval will not move forward.
The prescribed fee as per the act for testing mechanical types of models of weight and measures is Rs 10,000 and the prescribed fee as per the act for imported or manufactured for protection of measuring instruments is Rs 25,000. However, the application shall be deposited by the applicant with half of the testing fee for testing the substitute material.
The Process to Obtain Model Approval
There is a proper process to get the model approval by the manufacturer and this is important as there are two methods that differ from each other and totally depend on the fact that the applicant is the manufacturer or the importer.
- The applicant has to submit the application form along with the required documents.
- An applicant has to bring a sample of the product to the legal metrology department for analysis.
- The legal metrology department will conduct an inspection of the document submitted by the applicant.
- The inspection of the sample would be conducted by the Legal Metrology department.
- After completion of all the required steps and the inspection of all the documents as well as the sample, if the Legal Metrology department and the officer of the Legal Metrology department deem fit, then he may grant the model approval to the applicant who can be the manufacturer or importer of weight and measure
- As per section 22 of the Legal Metrology Act 2009, the legal metrology department issued the model approval to the applicant.
- The office of the legal metrology department is located in Delhi, and the standard application process involves sample testing, application filling by the applicant, and document submissions by the applicant.
After completion of all the above steps, the applicant will receive the model approval of waiting measures.
Legal Metrology for E-Commerce
- E-commerce entities are incorporated under the Companies Act 1956 and the Companies Act 2013. However, foreign companies are covered under clause 42 of section 2 of the Companies Act 2013. Buying and selling commodities, goods, and services on the platform of an e-commerce portal are known as the e-commerce business.
Components of Specifications of Standards
The legal metrology of packed commodities provides an important role in protecting the interests of the consumer and the public at large, whereas in order to make more accuracy in the commodities and the packages of commodities, it is necessary to make them clearer and specify their components on the packages so that no fraud will take place in the market.
LEGAL METROLOGY PENALTIES
TYPES OF PENALTIES UNDER LEGAL METROLOGY ACT
There are numerous types of penalties in chapter five of the legal metrology act given below:
Alcohol Beverages Declarations
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF LMPC DECLARATIONS ?
Declarations made on the pre-packed commodities are very much necessary because it is just not important only for the customer but also for the manufacturer, importer, packer, and the Indian market.
MODEL APPROVAL OF IMPORTED GOODS
Approval of the model of imported goods under Legal Metrology is of two ways which include services for Non-Weight and Measuring instruments under which the registration of Packer or manufacturer is done and the registration for Legal Metrology packed commodities certificate is covered for the importer.
Manufacturer Registration under Legal Metrology, Rule 2011
The main provisions for the manufacturer to get himself registered are given under Chapter 6, rule 27 of the Legal Metrology Act Rules, 2011. Any person or firm that manufactures packaged commodities is a manufacturer.