**Executive Summary:**
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution launched the National Legal Metrology Portal (eMaap) on December 24, 2024, to centralize Legal Metrology services across India. This initiative streamlines registrations, licenses, and compliance processes, benefiting businesses, industries, and consumers. Amendments to the Legal Metrology Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011, now permit QR codes on certain products to provide additional product information.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **National Legal Metrology Portal (eMaap):**
* Unified digital platform for all Legal Metrology services in India.
* Integrates services previously managed by individual States and Union Territories.
* Offers a single point of contact for approvals, licenses, and registrations.
* Provides a paperless, faceless, and seamless system for regulatory approvals.
* Enables consumers to verify the authenticity of model approvals and other certificates.
* Features real-time dashboards, APIs for integration, and multilingual options in some States.
* 18 States and Union Territories, including Maharashtra, have onboarded since its launch.
* **Benefits of eMaap:**
* Reduces the need for physical visits.
* Speeds up application processing.
* Lowers compliance costs.
* Ensures uniform procedures across States.
* Improves transparency and ease of doing business.
* Reduces compliance burden.
* **Amendment to Legal Metrology Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011:**
* Allows the use of QR codes for certain declarations on electronic products.
* Packages must display essential information, while other details may be provided through a QR code.
* **Benefits of QR Codes:**
* Reduces packaging clutter.
* Simplifies compliance for manufacturers.
* Promotes digital labeling.
* Enables consumers to access complete, accurate, and up-to-date product information.
* Contributes to ease of business and environmental sustainability.
**Impact Analysis:**
* **Businesses and Industries:**
* Impact: Streamlined compliance processes, reduced costs, and improved ease of doing business through a unified online platform.
* Action Required: Utilize the eMaap portal for registrations, licenses, and compliance; implement QR codes on product packaging as per the amended rules.
* **Consumers:**
* Impact: Increased transparency and access to accurate product information through QR codes; ability to verify the authenticity of weighing and measuring instruments.
* Action Required: Utilize QR codes to access detailed product information; verify the authenticity of model approvals and certificates on the eMaap portal.
* **MSMEs and Traders (including those in districts like Jalgaon, Maharashtra):**
* Impact: Reduced need for physical visits, faster application processing, lower compliance costs, and uniform procedures across States.
* Action Required: Utilize the eMaap portal for registrations, licenses, and compliance to leverage the benefits of the centralized system.
* **State and Union Territory Governments:**
* Impact: Adoption of a unified national platform for Legal Metrology services, ensuring uniformity and streamlined processes.
* Action Required: Onboard onto the eMaap portal to integrate existing services into the national system.
Key Entities Referenced
National Legal Metrology Portal eMaap: A unified and digital platform developed by the Government of India for all Legal Metrology services across India.
Legal Metrology Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011: Rules amended by the Government to allow the use of QR codes for certain declarations on electronic products.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution: The government ministry responsible for consumer affairs, food, and public distribution in India.
Jalgaon, Maharashtra: A district in the state of Maharashtra, India, mentioned as a beneficiary of the online Legal Metrology services.
Maharashtra: One of the first states to adopt the National Legal Metrology Portal eMaap.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises MSMEs: Beneficiaries of improved efficiency, transparency, and ease of doing business due to the digital transition in Legal Metrology operations.
SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI: The Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
National Consumer Day, 24 December 2024: The day on which the National Legal Metrology Portal eMaap was launched.
Government of India
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Department of Consumer Affairs
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. *394
TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.08.2025
ONLINE LEGAL METROLOGY SERVICES
*394. SMT. SMITA UDAY WAGH:
SHRI GODAM NAGESH:
Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC
DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has launched a centralised online platform for Legal Metrology services to
streamline registrations, licenses and compliance processes in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the key features of such portals including their availability in regional
languages;
(c) whether this digital transition has improved efficiency, transparency and ease of doing business in
Legal Metrology operations especially for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and
traders in districts like Jalgaon (Maharashtra) and if so, the details thereof;
(d) the details and the number of stakeholders from Maharashtra benefited from online Legal Metrology
services since its implementation; and
(e) whether the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 have been amended recently to
permit QR codes on certain products and if so, the details thereof along with the expected benefits of
this move for consumers and manufacturers alike?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF
CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRI PRALHAD JOSHI)
(a) to (e) : A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
*****STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO.*394 FOR 20.08.2025 REGARDING ONLINE LEGAL
METROLOGY SERVICES.
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The Government has developed the National Legal Metrology Portal (eMaap) to provide a unified
and digital platform for all Legal Metrology services across India. Earlier, each State and Union Territory
maintained separate portals for licensing, verification & stamping of weights & measures and registration of
manufacturers, packers, and importers of packaged commodities, leading to fragmented and inconsistent
processes. The eMaap portal integrates these services into a single national system, eliminating duplication,
ensuring uniformity and streamlining compliance for businesses, industries and consumers.
The portal serves as a single point of contact for all Legal Metrology services, enabling businesses to
obtain approvals, licenses and registration certificates online through a single sign-on mechanism. It offers a
paperless, faceless and seamless system for regulatory approvals, improving transparency and ease of doing
business while reducing the compliance burden. Consumers can also verify the authenticity of model
approval and other certificates, ensuring the accuracy and legal compliance of weighing and measuring
instruments, which in turn builds trust in trade practices. Real time dashboards, APIs for integration,
multilingual options in some States and detailed user guides further enhance the user experience.
Since its launch on National Consumer Day, 24 December 2024, the portal has onboarded 18
States and Union Territories, including Maharashtra, which was among the first to adopt it. The shift to an
integrated system has significantly benefited stakeholders, including MSMEs and traders in remote districts
like Jalgaon, by reducing the need for physical visits, speeding up application processing, lowering
compliance costs and ensuring uniform procedures across States.
The Government has amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 to
allow the use of QR codes for certain declarations on electronic products. Under the amended rules,
packages must display essential information such as the manufacturer’s name and telephone number and e-
mail address, while other details like the full address, product specifications, size, etc. may be provided
through a QR code. This approach reduces packaging clutter, simplifies compliance for manufacturers,
promotes digital labelling, and enables consumers to access complete, accurate, and up-to-date product
information conveniently, contributing to both ease of business and environmental sustainability.
*****