India is hosting the 61st Meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) from 26 to 28 October 2026 at New Delhi. For the first time, India is hosting this prestigious international meeting of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), bringing together delegates, senior officials and technical experts from across the world to advance cooperation in measurement standards, consumer protection and fair trade.

The programme commenced today with an international seminar on “Evolutions in Legal Metrology”, followed by the first session of the 61st CIML Meeting.

Dr. Bob Joseph Matthew, President of CIML, welcomed the international delegates and underscored the strategic importance of legal metrology in ensuring fair trade, protecting consumers and facilitating international cooperation.

Chairing the seminar, Ms. Renée Hansson, First Vice-President of CIML, Sweden, highlighted the evolving role of legal metrology in addressing digitalisation, emerging technologies and changing market requirements. She emphasised the need for harmonised measurement standards and closer cooperation among Member States.

Mr. Anthony Donellan, Director of the International Bureau of Legal Metrology (BIML), highlighted OIML’s efforts to develop internationally harmonised technical recommendations, facilitate the mutual acceptance of test results through the OIML Certification System (OIML-CS), and strengthen capacity building. He also highlighted emerging initiatives relating to machine-readable standards, artificial intelligence and digital transformation.

India’s Legal Metrology Reforms

Addressing the gathering, Smt. Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, welcomed the international delegates and expressed pride in India hosting the CIML Meeting for the first time. She emphasised that accurate and internationally harmonised measurements are fundamental to fair trade, consumer confidence, industrial innovation and economic growth.

Highlighting India’s commitment to consumer protection alongside ease of doing business, the Secretary referred to the Jan Vishwas reforms of 2023 and 2026. These reforms have introduced measures such as decriminalisation of specified offences, improvement notices and graded penalties, promoting a more proportionate and business-friendly regulatory framework while retaining essential consumer safeguards.

She highlighted the expansion of Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs) to augment verification capacity and the development of the e-Maap National Portal to provide integrated digital services in legal metrology. She also referred to India’s recognition as an OIML-CS Issuing Authority, an important step towards facilitating international acceptance of test results and supporting Indian manufacturers in accessing global markets.

The Secretary further highlighted the National Time Dissemination Project, “One Nation, One Time”, which aims to provide accurate, reliable and traceable Indian Standard Time across the country. The initiative is expected to strengthen time synchronisation in critical sectors, including banking, telecommunications, 5G networks, navigation, digital infrastructure and power systems.

Reaffirming India’s commitment to international cooperation, Smt. Khare stressed the importance of adopting emerging technologies and developing a transparent, efficient and future-ready legal metrology ecosystem.

Seminar Highlights Reforms and Emerging Technologies

During the seminar, Shri Ashutosh Agarwal, Director (Legal Metrology), Department of Consumer Affairs, delivered a presentation on “Evolutions and Reforms in Legal Metrology in India”. He traced the evolution of standardised weights and measures in India, from early civilisations to the modern legal metrology framework.

The presentation highlighted key initiatives aimed at simplifying compliance, strengthening verification infrastructure and modernising regulatory services, including GATCs, the e-Maap portal, regulation of packaged commodities, the National Time Dissemination Project, Regional Reference Standard Laboratories and the Indian Institute of Legal Metrology, Ranchi.

The international seminar featured presentations by experts from different countries on emerging challenges and opportunities in legal metrology. Discussions covered metrological requirements for electric vehicle charging equipment, mutual recognition of conformity assessment, digital transformation, stakeholder awareness and capacity building.

Experts also deliberated on OIML’s Smart Recommendations initiative, which aims to develop machine-readable technical standards, and explored the potential applications of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in measurement and verification systems. The discussions underscored the importance of harmonised standards in reducing technical barriers to trade and strengthening 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. The meeting will continue upto 28 October, 2026 with further deliberations on international legal metrology priorities and cooperation among Member States.

Hosting the 61st CIML Meeting reflects India’s growing role in international legal metrology and its commitment to accurate measurements, consumer protection, fair trade and globally harmonized standards.

The three-day programme includes a seminar on “Evolutions in Legal Metrology”, covering the digitalization of regulatory services, international recognition of instruments and e-learning. An OIML Strategy Workshop is scheduled for 27 October, followed by a visit to CSIR–National Physical Laboratory on 28 October. The visit will provide delegates an opportunity to learn about the institution’s role in maintaining India’s national measurement standards.

The deliberations reaffirm the shared commitment of India and the international legal metrology community to accurate measurement, transparent regulation, consumer confidence and smoother international trade. Through continued cooperation and the adoption of future-ready systems, the meeting seeks to strengthen legal metrology as an important enabler of innovation, economic growth and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

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