Greetings to All from WEMA- India, on the eve of World Metrology Day. On 20th May 1875, seventeen countries signed the Metre convention treaty. The convention set the frame work for global collaboration in the science of measurement with an aim to achieve “the world-wide uniformity of measurement”. Today we celebrate the occasion’s 150th anniversary. Treaty provides basis for worldwide coherent measurement system which over the time has gained more validity and acceptance.
The theme for World Metrology Day 2025 is “Measurements for all times, for all people”. It underscores the importance of measurements in every facet of life.
Science of measurement underpins almost every aspect of our daily lives. Every time we do an economic transaction, care for well fare and wellbeing of lives/ environment/ vegetation, under go medical treatment, use the GPS to navigate, walk over or under a bridge or enter a building, travel by flight, or launch a satellite, we should thank metrologists who made it possible.
Metrology encompasses three fields:
Industrial/Applied Metrology: It covers the application of measurement to manufacturing or other industrial processes and their utilization in society. It also ensures that measurement systems are suitable, calibrated, well maintained and under quality control.
Scientific Metrology: It deals with the study, organisation, maintenance and development of the standards of the international system of units (SI) systems. This is undertaken by National Measurement Institutes through the realization of scientific theories and confirmation of the same internationally.
Legal Metrology: It deals with Regulatory facets of measurement and measurement instruments. It is mainly concerned with the measurements that influence economic transactions and relate to protection of consumer rights, safeguarding well being of humans, animals or to protect any commodity, vegetation or thing whether individually or collectively.
Today’s celebration won’t be complete without mentioning contributions from Legal Metrology India-Department of consumer affairs to measurement ecosystem: –
- Legal Metrology, Department of consumer Affairs India is now one of the 13 OIML issuing authorities world wide for OIML certification system.
- Radar equipment for measuring speed of vehicles has been incorporated in Legal Metrology (General) Rules along with Gas Meters and other Meters.
- Draft Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules 2025 remain released. Aim is to establish IST as the official time across all sectors in India, where it is mandated. The goal is to enhance national security and ensure reliability of critical infrastructure by relying on a domestically controlled time source (IST) with more focus on synchronization and precision. The draft rules do allow for exceptions in specific cases, such as scientific research or navigation, where GPS or other time sources may be necessary.
- BIS to move towards SMART standards in 2025. Design will be machine readable, intelligent and interactive.
- Weighing software testing facility developed at RRSL Ahmedabad and in due course to be emulated by rest of RRSLS’.
- Product wise Draft Rules already issued for incorporation in Legal Metrology (General) Rules for Automatic level gauges, Automatic Catch Weighing Instruments, Clinical electrical thermometers, Non-invasive automated Sphygmomanometer’s, Breath Analyzer’s and Moisture Meters.
- Critical reforms with respect to measurement by mass, as per detailed stake holders requests available with DOCA, also as recorded on https://ciieodb.in portal, reflecting the same having been submitted to the Government for action, are now long overdue. In some cases, under Government status remark- “under consideration” is expressed. This gives the hope that delivery of reforms is being seriously looked in to. Main focus of these reforms is to protect consumer rights, maintain regulatory uniformity and transparency at reduced cost and time, promote ease of doing business to boost GDP share from weighing industry to our economy and dismantle barriers on the way to growth and progression.
Vijay Bhat
WEMA
20th May 2025
