Standardising commercial measuring tools vital for growing economy, says Consumer Affairs Secretary

Harmonisation of legal metrology frameworks and global accountability in measurement standards remain essential to removing non-tariff barriers and supporting international commerce, said Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs Nidhi Khare.

Harmonisation of legal metrology frameworks and global accountability in measurement standards remain essential to removing non-tariff barriers and supporting international commerce, said Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs Nidhi Khare. While speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 61st International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) meeting, Khare stated that, "With evolution of technology, there are new instruments which are coming for our household uses or even in commercial practices. So it is very important that they are harmonized and they enjoy global accountability.”

Khare added that continuous shifts in consumer goods and industrial equipment require standardisation bodies to keep pace with new instrumentation entering the marketplace. “Therefore it becomes very important for the trade and commerce of the country, for the growing economy of our country to learn from the global perspective and reasonably and adequately update the measures," she added.

"Legal metrology is something which helps it is basically the cornerstone or say the foundation of any robust trade and commerce of any country," Khare said. "If the measures are accurate then the trade is also seamless and it does not provide a trade barrier." India is hosting the annual gathering of the international body for the first time, bringing together domestic authorities, member state representatives, and international technical institutions to address measurement standards across expanding commercial sectors.

Addressing questions regarding gaps between domestic practices and international standards, CIML President Bobjoseph Mathew stated that the organization is focusing on institutional readiness to handle emerging technological shifts. "What I want to reach with this organization is to bring it to the future. Together with my team, we want to make sure that OIML is future-ready," Mathew said.

"Which means there are specific topics that we need to address, and where we, as OIML, have to develop recommendations or guidelines or guides that the community can deal with," he added. Mathew observed that technological integration into measuring tools presents regulatory deficits that international bodies must work to resolve.

"These topics are all related mainly to modern technologies such as digitalization in generic terms, but also AI, special thing," Mathew said. "So, for all types of measurements, you have a lot of AI involved, software involved, and these type of approaches are not regulated yet." (ANI)