World Legal Metrology Day: Traders urged to comply with Act, 3,044 cases booked across North Andhra
As part of the World Legal Metrology Day celebrations, officials from the Legal Metrology department have been conducting awareness programmes across Vizianagaram, urging traders to strictly follow the rules and regulations of the Legal Metrology Act-2009 to avoid penalties and cases. The awareness drive has been ongoing for the past two weeks, and officials have been educating traders about their responsibilities, while consumers are being made aware of their rights.
Legal Metrology department's Deputy Controller B. Madhusudana Reddy highlighted the department's efforts and said: 'We booked 3,044 cases across the North Andhra districts of Vizianagaram, Parvatipuram-Manyam, and Srikakulam in the financial year 2024-25, and collected ₹1,76. 71,452 as stamping fee and ₹1,07,34,600 as compounding fees during the same period.'
Assistant Controller P.V. Ranga Reddy noted that the awareness programme received a positive response from general merchants, petroleum dealers, fertiliser traders, and bullion merchants. He asked consumers who feel cheated in transactions to contact the legal metrology officials for swift redressal.
Mr. Madhusudana Reddy said that the department's aim was to make every trader adhere to rules and ensure goods sold to consumers are in accordance with the declared weights, maximum retail price and measurements.
World Legal Metrology Day has been observed annually since May 20, 1875, when the first 'Metre Convention' held in Paris raised awareness on measurement science.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
22-05-2025
- United News of India
J&K Legal Metrology Department launches crackdown on dry fruit sellers
Jammu, May 21 (UNI) In response to increasing consumer complaints and to ensure adherence to fair trade practices, the Legal Metrology Department, Jammu and Kashmir, launched a comprehensive enforcement drive targeting traders and distributors of dry fruits across all districts of the Union Territory. Anuradha Gupta, Controller, Legal Metrology Department, J&K, here on Thursday, said that the crackdown focused on addressing issues of short weighment and the absence of mandatory declarations on product packaging. She said that special enforcement teams were constituted to conduct surprise inspections across all districts of Jammu and Kashmir. During the UT wide drive, a total of 244 traders were inspected, out of which 63 traders were booked for violations, said the Controller adding that these included supplying underweight packaged dry fruits and failing to display mandatory labeling information, including net weight, MRP, date of packaging, and manufacturer details, as required under Rule 6 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. "This drive underscores our commitment to ensuring that only those packages that are exact in terms of net quantity, and which strictly adhere to Legal Metrology guidelines, are made available to consumers. Such drives will continue in the future as well," said Anuradha Gupta. The Department has issued a strict advisory to all dry fruit sellers, warning them against selling non-compliant packaged commodities, she said, adding, "Violators will face stringent legal action under the provisions of the Legal Metrology Act." In addition, consumers have been particularly advised to carefully check the net weight and labeling on packaged goods before purchasing. Public awareness and vigilance play a crucial role, said the Controller. She said, "being informed about one's rights and responsibilities as a consumer is essential for avoiding exploitation and ensuring fair trade. Consumers are urged to report any discrepancies in packaged goods." "Complaints can be lodged through the LMD toll-free helpline: 1800-180-7114 or via official social media handles. The Department remains active on social media platforms to promptly address public grievances and raise consumer awareness," said the Controller. UNI VBH BD
Mint
22-05-2025
- Mint
Standard cooking oil packs mooted to cut shifty traders to size
New Delhi: The government is planning to reinstate standard pack sizes for edible oil, two people said, after a spell of flexible norms saw traders short-changing customers. Traders exploited the relaxed norms introduced in 2022 through amendments to the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, which allowed flexible packaging. As a result, random sizes such as 800 gm, 810 gm, and 850 gm are being sold in the market as 1 kg packs, allowing sellers to charge full 1 kg prices for lower quantities. These practice has been flagged as unfair and deceptive, undermining consumer trust. In response, the government now plans to bring back uniform pack sizes such as 5 kg, 2 kg, 1 kg, 500 grams, and 200 grams for cooking oil to prevent pricing manipulation. This comes in the backdrop of India's cooking oil consumption increasing from 24.6 million tonnes (mt) in 2020–21 to 25.8 mt in 2021–22, and 28.9 mt in 2022–23. Also read | Adani Wilmar to raise cooking oil prices by 20% following import duty hike 'We are reviewing the complaints regarding unfair trade practices related to disparities between the price and the actual weight of edible oil packs. It's a bit tricky for consumers to calculate the price of a pack weighing 800 grams, but it's much easier for the same consumer to understand the cost of a standard 2 kg or 500 gm pack," the first person said. As per the consumer affairs ministry data, the all-India daily weighted average retail price of groundnut oil stood at ₹188.82 per kg on 20 May, nearly unchanged from ₹188.76 per kg recorded a year ago. Mustard oil, however, saw a sharp rise, reaching ₹170.66 per kg compared with ₹135.50 per kg a year earlier. Soya oil was priced at ₹147.04 per kg, up from ₹123.61 per kg last year, while sunflower oil rose to ₹160.77 per kg from ₹123.17 per kg. Palm oil, one of the most widely used cooking oils, climbed to ₹135.04 per kg from ₹101 per kg. Vanaspati also saw a price increase, reaching ₹154.71 per kg compared to ₹126.40 per kg a year ago. Read this | BPCL in talks with Sulzer to make aviation fuel from used cooking oil 'The government is reviewing the packaging norms, and after stakeholder consultations, the old standards are likely to be reinstated to ensure better transparency and promote fair trade practices," the second person said. This change follows mounting confusion among consumers, the person said, adding that all stakeholders have been asked to submit their recommendations on this. The Indian edible oil market, valued at $4.39 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $6.49 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of 6.79%, according to TechSci Research. Industry welcomed the move, calling it essential for ensuring consistency in retail pricing and compliance with the Legal Metrology Act. 'Standardized packaging ensures that price comparisons are simple, transparent, and fair. It creates a level playing field for both consumers and producers, encouraging trust and long-term brand value," said Sudhakar Desai, president, Indian Vegetable Oil Producers' Association (IVPA). And read | Decoding the dilemma behind escalating cooking oil imports When the packaging rules were amended in 2021, the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Amendment Rules mandated the display of the Unit Sale Price (USP) on all packaged goods to help consumers compare prices more easily. Building on that, the 2022 amendment went a step further by removing Schedule II, which had previously required certain essential commodities—like edible oils—to be sold only in standard quantities. This shift gave manufacturers the freedom to choose pack sizes as per their convenience, leading to a proliferation of non-standard packs in the market.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- The Hindu
World Legal Metrology Day: Traders urged to comply with Act, 3,044 cases booked across North Andhra
As part of the World Legal Metrology Day celebrations, officials from the Legal Metrology department have been conducting awareness programmes across Vizianagaram, urging traders to strictly follow the rules and regulations of the Legal Metrology Act-2009 to avoid penalties and cases. The awareness drive has been ongoing for the past two weeks, and officials have been educating traders about their responsibilities, while consumers are being made aware of their rights. Legal Metrology department's Deputy Controller B. Madhusudana Reddy highlighted the department's efforts and said: 'We booked 3,044 cases across the North Andhra districts of Vizianagaram, Parvatipuram-Manyam, and Srikakulam in the financial year 2024-25, and collected ₹1,76. 71,452 as stamping fee and ₹1,07,34,600 as compounding fees during the same period.' Assistant Controller P.V. Ranga Reddy noted that the awareness programme received a positive response from general merchants, petroleum dealers, fertiliser traders, and bullion merchants. He asked consumers who feel cheated in transactions to contact the legal metrology officials for swift redressal. Mr. Madhusudana Reddy said that the department's aim was to make every trader adhere to rules and ensure goods sold to consumers are in accordance with the declared weights, maximum retail price and measurements. World Legal Metrology Day has been observed annually since May 20, 1875, when the first 'Metre Convention' held in Paris raised awareness on measurement science.
