New Delhi, November 12 (IANS). According to information given by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution on Wednesday, the facility of an online portal has been introduced for private industries, laboratories and testing facilities. This portal can be used to apply for recognition as Government Approved Test Centres.
According to the official statement, applications can be submitted through the official portal till November 30. This step is important towards expanding India’s verification ecosystem and measurement infrastructure, which will promote accuracy, transparency and fairness in trade.
“Organizations with proper testing equipment, calibration facilities and qualified staff are invited to apply for GATC accreditation. The online application process aims to make it easier for businesses to apply. Additionally, it aims to ensure faster, transparent approvals for them through a digital portal,” the ministry said in a statement.
Accredited GATC will be authorized to verify 18 types of weighing and measuring instruments, the official statement said. These include water meter, sphygmomanometer, clinical thermometer, automatic railway bridge, tape measure, load cell, beam scale, counter machine, all categories of weights, gas meter, energy meter, moisture meter, speed meter for vehicles, breath analyzer, multidimensional measuring instrument, flow meter. In addition, non-automatic weighing instruments of accuracy class III and non-automatic weighing instruments of accuracy class IIII with weighing up to 150 kg are included.
According to the information given by the ministry, recognized GATCs will charge verification and re-verification fees. These standardized charges ensure uniformity and transparency across the country.
For example, Rs 250 for domestic water meter, Rs 1,000 for commercial water meter, Rs 2,500 for industrial water meter, Rs 100 for sphygmomanometer, Rs 50 for clinical thermometer, Rs 3,000 for non-automatic weighing instrument up to 150 kg, Rs 3,000 for flow meter up to 100 mm. The fee will be Rs 5,000.
–IANS
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