Tag: Department of consumer affairs

Bharat IOML Certificates

Bharat Becomes 13th Country To Issue IOML Certificates

By LokMarg

Bharat has become the 13th country in the world that can issue Internationally Accepted OIML (International Organization of Legal Metrology) Certificates, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said on Thursday.

The domestic manufacturers can now get their weighing and measuring instruments tested in Bharat and sell in the international market.

It will also create a facility for international manufacturers to get their equipment tested in Bharat, leading to generation of revenue and employment.

“OIML is an Intergovernmental organization which was established in 1955. Bharat became its member in 1956. It has 63 Member States and 64 Corresponding Members. Bharat has now become authority for issuing internationally accepted OIML certificate for selling weights and measures anywhere in the world,” the Ministry stated.

The Department of Consumer Affairs can now issue now OIML Pattern Approval certificate, which is mandatory to sell a weight or measure in the International market

Bharat follows OIML recommendations and procedures of testing and calibration of weights and measures. The reports prepared by the Legal Metrology’s Regional Reference Standards Laboratories are now acceptable to the OIML issuing authorities.

Now, Bharat is an authority for issue of OIML pattern approval certificates and can act as support system for indigenous manufacturers.  The domestic manufacturers can now export their weighing and measuring instrument worldwide without incurring additional testing fees, resulting in significant cost savings, the Ministry added.

Bharat can also support the foreign manufacturers by issuing OIML pattern approval certificates from our certified RRSLs.  By issuing the OIML approval certificates of weighing and measuring instrument to the foreign manufacturers Bharat will also generate forex in terms of fees, etc.

According to the Ministry, Bharat may now influence the OIML’s policies and provide input to the OIML Strategy. This system allows OIML Certificates issued by OIML Issuing Authorities in OIML member states to be accepted by other participants as the basis for issuing national or regional type approvals for measuring instruments. 

The other OIML Members can thus issue national-type approval certificates without the need for expensive test facilities by relying on these certificates.

“Bharat now joins an exclusive group of nations, including Australia, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, and Slovakia, as the 13th country worldwide, authorized for issuing OIML approval certificates,” the Ministry added.

Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary (Consumer Affairs), shared this achievement at a press conference, where a presentation and video were presented to illustrate the importance of this accomplishment.

“Today, we proudly announce Bharat’s ascent to the ranks of globally recognized OIML Certificates Issuing Authorities, a testament to our nation’s commitment to quality standards and international trade facilitation,” he said.

Paul Dixon, Executive Secretary, OIML-CS, also joined from OIML’s Paris Headquarters for the briefing, re-affirming Bharat’s role as an OIML Certificates Issuing Authority and assuring continued cooperation. (ANI)

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Tomatoes through ONDC

Tomato Prices To Come Down With Arrival Of New Crop From M’rashtra

By LokMarg

The prices of tomato is expected to come down with the increase in arrival of new crop from Nasik, Naryangoan and Aurangabad belt in Maharashtra and also from Madhya Pradesh, Centre told the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Minster of State Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ashwini Kumar Choubey made the statement in a written reply to the query of a Rajya Sabha member.
The Minister further said the Department of Consumer Affairs monitors the daily prices of 22 essential food commodities including tomato.

In order to check the current increase in prices of tomato and make it available to the consumers at affordable prices, the Minister said, the government has started the procurement of tomatoes under Price Stabilisation Fund and is making it available at a highly subsidised rate to consumers.

Choube said the National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) are continuously procuring tomato from mandis in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra and making it available at affordable prices in major consuming centres in Delhi-NCR, Bihar and Rajasthan after subsidizing the price to the consumers.

“The tomatoes have been disposed initially at retail price of Rs 90 per kg which has been reduced to Rs 80 per kg from July 16 and further reduced to Rs 70 per kg from July 20,” said the Minister while responding to the query of Kartikeya Sharma, who asked about the measures taken by the government to monitor and regulate tomato prices to ensure affordability for consumers.

“Current increase in tomato prices may incentivize farmers to grow more tomato crop

which is expected to stabilize the prices in coming months.”

The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DAFW) implements Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) to protect the growers of perishable agri-horticultural commodities from making distress sale in the event of a bumper crop during the peak arrival period when the prices tend to fall below economic levels and cost of production, said the Minister.

“Under the scheme, the loss on account of the fall in price is borne between the Central Government and State Government on 50:50 basis. Since the inception of MIS till date, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has not received any proposal from State Governments for market intervention to address distress sale of tomato,” Choube said.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries implements Operation Greens for enhancing value addition and reduction in post-harvest losses of agri-horticultural commodities, including tomato, said the Minister, adding “the objectives of the scheme are enhancing value realization of produce for farmers; protect the growers from making distress sale; increase in food processing/preservation capacities and value addition; and (iv) reduction in post-harvest losses.”

He said the scheme has both short-term interventions component and long-term interventions component.

“The short-term interventions include transportation and storage subsidy to individual farmers, group of farmers, farmer producer organisations, farmer producer companies, cooperative societies, State Marketing and Co-operative Federation, food processors, licensed commission agents, exporters and retailers. Under the long term interventions, grants-in-aid are being provided for Integrated Value Chain Development Projects and Stand-alone Post Harvest Infrastructure Projects,” added the Minister. (ANI)

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