Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India has become the 13th country in the world to issue the pattern approval certificate of International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML), which marks a milestone in the field of legal metrology said Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi while delivering the inaugural address at the opening ceremony of the 89th International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) General Meeting in New Delhi on September 15.
With this, India is now one of only a handful of countries authorised to issue a specific type of certification for measuring instruments, which is a major step forward for its role in global trade and manufacturing.
What it means
This achievement signifies that India’s testing and certification standards for weights and measures, such as clinical thermometers, petrol pumps, and weighing scales, are now recognised and accepted worldwide.
The OIML is a global body that sets standards for measuring instruments used in legal applications, like trade, health, and safety. A pattern approval certificate is a document that confirms a measuring instrument meets all the technical and legal requirements for its type, essentially giving it a stamp of global approval.
Why it’s a milestone for India
This new authority to issue OIML certificates brings several significant benefits:
* Boost to “Made in India”: Domestic manufacturers can now get their instruments tested and certified within India, saving them time and money. This simplifies the export process and makes Indian-made products more competitive in the international market.
* Economic gains: India can now earn foreign exchange by providing certification services to manufacturers from other countries, particularly its neighbors.
* Enhanced global standing: This places India among an elite group of nations known for their rigorous and reliable metrology standards, strengthening its position in global trade and technical cooperation.
The Minister said that as far as Digital India, renewable energy and sustainable energy are concerned, India is marching ahead of the world.
He further informed that India will very shortly roll out a project for dissemination of precise Indian Standard Time (IST). For this, the Department of Consumer Affairs is partering with National Physical Laboratory and Indian Space Research Organisation(Isro).
The project aims to create the necessary technology and infrastructure to disseminate IST from five sites across the country. This is essential for both strategic and non-strategic sectors.
Joshi highlighted that in India’s journey of global standardisation, a pivotal role has been played by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). As India’s national standards body, BIS has fostered harmonisation of standards, encouraged innovation and facilitated the development of green technologies across sectors.
The Minister said that over the past 11 years, BIS has expanded its role from being a technical regulator to becoming a true partner in nation building. He informed that India today has nearly 24,000 Indian Standards ensuring that products meet global benchmarks of safety and performance.
Certification coverage has grown from just 106 products under 14 Quality Control Orders in 2014 to 769 products under 186 QCOs, 2 Horizontal QCOs and Omnibus Technical Regulations at present.
He noted that the introduction of HUID-based hallmarking for gold jewellery in July 2021 has been a milestone reform, under which more than 48 crore articles have already been hallmarked, with hallmarking centres increasing from 285 in 2014 to 1,600 today, covering 373 districts and involving over 2 lakh registered jewellers. Building on this success, hallmarking of silver jewellery and artefacts has also been introduced.
He further stated that BIS laboratories have scaled up their capacity many times over, with the network of recognised laboratories expanding from 81 in 2014-15 to 382 in 2025, while empanelled labs have increased from 62 to 287 in the same period.
Training and outreach activities have also been strengthened, with programmes conducted across more than 600 districts to sensitise institutions and officials on the importance of quality standards.
The Minister said that India today is witnessing a massive technological and industrial metamorphosis. The manufacturing sector is embracing automation and precision to drive productivity. Smart factories, industry 4.0 and cyber-physical systems are redefining the future of industry.
From being the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world to becoming one of the fastest growing markets for electric vehicles and solar technologies, India’s progress is being powered by ambition, supported by policy and executed through collective effort.
He added that India’s journey in the electrotechnical and energy sectors is rooted in the national vision for sustainable development and climate resilience. From being dependent on fossil fuels, India is making an unprecedented shift toward renewable energy, clean technology and low-carbon infrastructure. He recalled that even during its G20 Presidency in 2023, India prioritised energy transition and digital public infrastructure as key focus areas.
The Director General, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Shri Pramod Kumar Tiwari interacting with media during addressed a Press Conference on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) General Meeting, in New Delhi on September 12, 2025