“Decriminalization Does Not Mean Deregulation; Legal Metrology Reforms Aim to Build a Facilitative and Trust-Based Compliance Framework: Nidhi Khare, Secretary, DOCA at PHDCCI’s Conference”

New Delhi, September 16, 2026: PHDCCI organised a National Conference on “Decriminalization and Reforms in Legal Metrology: Balance between Ease of Doing Business and Consumer Protection” on 16 September 2026 at The Park, New Delhi, bringing together policymakers, industry stakeholders, legal experts and consumer representatives to deliberate on strengthening the Legal Metrology framework while facilitating ease of doing business and protecting consumer interests.
During the inaugural session, Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, highlighted the Government’s efforts to make Legal Metrology more facilitative, proportionate and trust-based. She noted that 20 provisions have been decriminalized under Jan Vishwas reforms 7 under Jan Vishwas 1.0 and 13 under Jan Vishwas 2.0 while serious violations such as short delivery and deliberate consumer fraud continue to attract criminal action. Emphasising that decriminalization does not mean deregulation, she highlighted improvement notices and graded penalties for minor violations.
She also highlighted around 51 Government Approved Testing Centres (GATCs) for faster and predictable verification, eight new rules covering measuring instruments, strengthening of software-testing infrastructure and dissemination of Indian Standard Time. She further highlighted the Jan Sunwai helpdesk, through which stakeholder queries have helped develop clearer SOPs, FAQs and guidelines. Calling for deeper engagement with industry, she said Legal Metrology should serve as a facilitative and collaborative framework, while safeguarding consumer rights and ensuring accurate measurement.
Addressing the august gathering, Dr. Ravi Gandhi, Chair, Retail, E-commerce & Consumer Affairs Committee, PHDCCI and President Reliance Retail Limited, called for a risk-based and proportionate regulatory framework suited to emerging business models such as e-commerce, quick commerce and digital marketplaces. He proposed distinguishing between minor procedural violations, material compliance failures and deliberate consumer fraud, with corrective measures for inadvertent errors and stringent action against deliberate violations. He advocated technology-enabled, intelligence-led regulation through digital inspections, e-certificates, QR-based systems, online registration, AI and IoT, along with greater harmonisation across States and a single compliance window. He identified five principles for Legal Metrology:  proportionality, predictability, technology, accountability and consumer-first regulation stressing that decriminalization should reduce the fear of honest mistakes without weakening deterrence against consumer fraud.
Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, CEO & Secretary General, PHDCCI, highlighted that Legal Metrology touches virtually every transaction in the economy, from everyday household purchases to sophisticated machinery and equipment used by industry. He emphasised that while consumer rights must be strongly protected, regulation also needs to be intelligent and proportionate so that businesses operating ethically are not subjected to undue regulatory burden for inadvertent or procedural errors. He noted that businesses should be provided an opportunity to rectify such errors through appropriate mechanisms, while unethical practices and deliberate violations affecting consumers must continue to be effectively regulated. He also reaffirmed PHDCCI’s commitment to facilitating national-level dialogue on issues that have a direct bearing on both industry and consumers, and encouraged stakeholders to contribute practical suggestions towards strengthening the Legal Metrology framework.
Emphasising that Legal Metrology goes beyond a technical statute, Dr. Jatinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General, PHDCCI, said accurate measurement is fundamental to trust, fairness and economic justice across the value chain. He appreciated the Department of Consumer Affairs’ reforms aimed at balancing consumer protection, decriminalization and economic growth, and stressed the need to strengthen measurement systems and address inconsistencies to build confidence in everyday and commercial transactions. He called for continued Government-industry-consumer dialogue to advance a Legal Metrology framework based on fairness, transparency, regulatory effectiveness and trust.
The conference also featured Panel Discussion “Balance between Ease of Doing Business and Consumer Protection in the Realm of Legal Metrology”, “Legal Metrology for the Online Consumer” and an exclusive fireside discussion on “Empowering the Indian Consumer: Strengthening Consumer Rights in the Digital Age”. The discussions examined regulatory simplification, proportionate enforcement, consumer awareness and protection in digital markets, and the need for technology-enabled compliance mechanisms suited to evolving business models. The deliberations reinforced the importance of continued Government-industry-consumer dialogue to build a Legal Metrology framework that is predictable and facilitative for businesses while ensuring strong and effective consumer protection.