• Benefit/cost of metrology regulation can be greater than other policy options
  
Regulation by legal metrology can provide cost effective solutions to a wide range of community issues by "social engineering" e.g. the application of radar speed devices and breath analyzers have had a marked impact in changing the behavior of car drivers and markedly reduced the road toll. An alternative policy option of road construction to avoid accidents would be much more costly.

International Recommendations provide level playing field for sale of appropriate measuring instruments OIML International Recommendations provide confidence in the instrument being fit for purpose and establish a level playing field for the manufacture and sale of these instruments. OIML International Recommendations provide confidence in the global consistency of a wide range of environmental and health and safety measurements that are referenced in International Treaties, e.g. Greenhouse Gas Emissions.


• Support of a Civil Society
  
As mentioned above, measurement has been an important component of the culture of all civilizations. However when measurements are used in trade, transactions or government regulation, there is a lack of transparency and imperfect information about the measurements. This is overcome by government legislation that establishes the rules of the measurement system and by Government enforcement of these rules. This system reduces disputation over trade transaction and government regulation and is an important component of the social capital of a society. As such an effective measurement system supports a civil society.


• Indian Situation
  
Looking at the situation in India, organized measurements in trade is under regulation since 1956 and the coverage was increased since 1977 when the Standards of Weights and Measures Act 1976 was brought into force. The transaction in commodities in packaged form has increased manifold in the last few decades that 60% of the total transaction of retail goods in groceries, cosmetics, etc takes place in packaged form. The number of retail shops in the country is of the order of a few lakhs and retail market is getting strengthened in the new economic situation in the country. The number of weighbridges in use in the country is estimated to be around 40 thousand, an equal number of dispensing pumps delivers petroleum products across the country. The weighing machine market alone is estimated to be around 1500 crores and is having a growth rate of 10-15%.

Under this scenario, if we need to look at the statistical figures of enforcement machinery, it is very pathetic. 2000 and odd enforcement officials with skeletal standard equipments verify the entire gambit of measuring instruments, which are increasing every year at almost 20%. Except one, none of the 100 & odd Secondary Standard Laboratories and 2000 and odd working standard laboratories under the enforcement agencies in the country have been accredited under the National Laboratory Accreditation Scheme [NABL]. Hence, there is lack of confidence in the measurements made at enforcement level.

The large number of prosecution cases booked across the country for violation of legal metrology laws is also an indication of the lack of credibility in measurement and this has lead to stakeholders loosing their confidence in measurement results. With the growth rate of the Indian economy poised at around 9%, its reliability on accurate measurement made on the weighing and measuring instruments is a very big contributing factor for realizing the objective.

There is therefore an urgent need to review the weights and measures legislation in India to meet the economic and social needs of the society. A well crafted legislation with least dependence on the government exchequer and more public private participation will enable the country to create an atmosphere of credibility in measurements made in trade and industry leading to fair trade practice, acceptance of measurement results to all stakeholder, realistic information on the production, distribution cost, etc.

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