Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011:

Tags:

Why in the news ?

To safeguard interest of consumers, the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has omitted the Rule 5 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities), Rules 2011 defining the Schedule II prescribing the pack sizes of various types of commodities .

Key highlights:

• The provisions of declarations of MRP have been simplified by removing illustration and providing for making the mandatory declaration of MRP in Indian currency inclusive of all taxes.
•   This has allowed the manufacturer/packer/importer to declare the MRP on the pre-packaged commodities in a simplified manner.
• Rules for declaring the commodities sold in pre-packed commodities in numbers have been eased out to reduce the compliance burden for manufacturer /importer/packer.
•   Under the companies which are selling packaged amendments with a quantity of more than one kilogram are required to print 'unit sale price' per kg along with its maximum retail price (MRP).
• This will remove the ambiguity of declaration of quantity sold by number in pre packed commodities.
• New amendment will be applicable from April 2022.
• According to the rule, rice or wheat flour were required to be packed in a 100-gram package, 200-gram package, 500-gram package, 1 kg package, 1.25 kg package, 1.5 kg package, 1.75 kg package, 2kg package, 5 kg package and in multiples of 5 kg.

Background of legal metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011:

• The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, make it mandatory to get the approvals prior to the import.
• The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities), Rules 2011 are primarily intended to ensure that the consumers are able to make informed choices by being informed of essential declarations on the pre-packed commodities.

About the Legal Metrology Act 2009:

• The Department of Consumer Affairs, administers the Legal Metrology Act 2009.
• The act provides for application of legal requirements to measurements and measuring instruments.
• The objective of Legal Metrology is to ensure public guarantee from the point of view of security and accuracy of the weights and measurements.
• 
  

MRP:

• MRP stands for maximum retail price. Maximum retail price is the highest price labeled on the product which can be charged by the seller of that product.
•   It is compulsory for all the sellers to mark the MRP. The concept of MRP was introduced in India in 1990 after the amendment of Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1997.
•   Before the introduction of the MRP rules in India amendment, the retailer was allowed to either mark the local price on the product or MRP India.
•  This made the retailer charge more than the expected and real price from the consumers.
•  After looking into the increased corruption at the price the amendment was introduced to ensure that the consumers are further not cheated.

Additional Information:

Consumer Protection Act, 2019:

• The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has come into effect from July 20, replacing the earlier Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
• The central government had set up a CCPA to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers.
• It regulated matters related to violation of consumer rights, unfair trade practices, and misleading advertisements.