One Day Seminar on -Standards of Weights and Measures Enforcement Rules .

One Day Seminar on
Standards of Weights and Measures Enforcement Rules
1 February 2008: Chennai

Confederation of Indian Industry-Institute of Quality (CII-IQ) in association with the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India and The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), GmbH Germany is organizing a seminar on The revision of Standards of Weights and Measures Enforcement Rules on 1 February 2008 at Chennai.

Objectives:

· To create awareness on the significance and intricacies of the Weights and measures Enforcement Rules.
· Identify obsolete provisions which are impediment to the growth of trade and industry in the country.
· Preparation of a model Enforcement rules in line with best international practices for uniform adoption across the country
· Empower consumers to protect themselves in the field of legal metrology

Background:
Metrology is the science of measurements. That part of metrology where measurements are under Government regulation for providing protection to consumers and stake holders, is called Legal Metrology. The instruments are regulated to ensure that the measurement results provided by such instruments are accurate and true and transactions carried out on such instruments are fair & acceptable to all stakeholders. The Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976 and Standards of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985 provide enabling provisions for the regulation of such measuring instruments. For regulation purposes, the Acts provide for issue of licence for manufacture, sale, and repair of weighing and measuring instruments, provides for their verification and collection of fee. The details of the regulatory requirements are prescribed in the form of a Rule called the Standards of Weights and Measures [Enforcement] Rules. The compliance to the requirement of the Enforcement rules is mandatory and non compliance results in prosecution/ cancellation of licences, etc.

The Rule making power at present rests with the States. To ensure uniformity in implementation, Model Enforcement Rules were prepared and sent to the States for adoption. During adoption by States, variations in different provisions of the rules have crept in. This non uniformity has become an impediment to the progress of development in the country. Variations in the interpretation of the rules have also lead to difficulties in carrying out the trade uniformly across the country. Accordingly a draft enforcement rules were prepared and circulated to States by the Department of Consumer Affairs some time back. It is proposed to discuss this draft rules with different Stakeholders across the country to evolve a simple but effective rule for regulation in the interest of all. Simultaneously, the Department of Consumer Affairs have entered into an Agreement with the Government of Germany for “Strengthening Consumer Protection in India”. Since implementation of a proper legal metrology system contributes greatly to a better consumer protection, making the system effective and efficient has been taken up as a project activity under the Agreement. GTZ is the organization implementing the project under the Agreement in India with the support of other organizations like CII.

To achieve the best result, it is proposed to form 3-4 working groups during this seminar, each with separate topics [of the rules], for discussion and recommendations in crucial areas of regulation, like; procedure and requirement for the issue of licence for manufacture, selling, repairers of weighing and measuring instruments and their regulation. The seminar would provide opportunity to discuss the revision of Standards of Weights and Measures Enforcement Rules.

DELEGATE FEE is Rs 3,000/per head. 10% Discount is available for three or more nominations from a single organization. Exact venue details will be intimated on receiving the nominations.

Coverage:

Proper understanding of the provisions of the enforcement Rules is very important for all industries engaged in manufacturing, selling, repairing and using measuring instruments in the country. Non compliance of the rules invite severe penalty, including cancellation of their manufacturing, selling and repairing licences. The seminar will provide opportunity to discuss every provision of the rules and the method of their compliance.

Target audience for this seminar are Licensed manufacturer, sellers, repairers of weighing and measuring instruments, Manufacturers/sellers/dealers of packaged commodities, Enforcement officials of legal metrology and Consumers.

I am writing to invite you to take advantage of this seminar and nominate colleagues from your organisation at the earliest. Registration form and tentative programme schedule and other details are enclosed.
Kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
S K Kakkar
Principal Counsellor & Head, CII Institute of Quality
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The Department of Consumer Affairs under Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs is responsible for the formulation of policies for Consumer Cooperatives, Monitoring Prices, availability of essential commodities, Consumer Movement in the country and Controlling of statutory bodies like Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Weights and Measures

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH is an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. It provides viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. GTZ promotes complex reforms and change processes, often working under difficult conditions. Its corporate objective is to improve people’s living conditions on a sustainable basis. Advisory Services in Environmental Management (ASEM) is a joint programme of GTZ and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), GOI aiming at environmental improvement and sustainable development.
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