• India can now issue the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) Certificates.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF LEGAL METROLOGY

• It is an Intergovernmental organization established in
• The International Organization of Legal Metrology is an intergovernmental treaty organization which:
  • Develops model regulations, standards and related documents for use by legal metrology authorities and industry.
  • Provides mutual recognition systems which reduce trade barriers and costs in a global market.
  • Promotes and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and competencies within the legal metrology community worldwide,
  • Cooperates with other metrology bodies to raise awareness of the contribution that a sound legal metrology infrastructure can make to a modern economy.
• It is Headquartered at Paris, France.
• It is international standard-setting body in the sense of the World Trade Organization’s Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement.
• Members – It has 63 Member States and 64 Corresponding Members. India became the member in
• To sell a weight or measure in the International market an OIML Pattern Approval certificate is mandatory.

INDIA AND THE OIML

• India has now become authority for issuing OIML certificate for selling weights & measures anywhere in the world and Department of Consumer Affairs can issue the certificate now.
• India now joins as a 13th country to issue OIML approval certificates.
• Other countries – Australia, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, and Slovakia, can also issue this certificate.
• The OIML-Certificate System is a system for issuing, registering and using OIML certificates, and their associated OIML type evaluation/test reports.
• Advantages for India – Increase in exports, earning of foreign exchange, and generation of employment.