Government invites online applications from August 17-31 to get recognised as GATCs

New Delhi: The government has invited online applications from eligible industries, laboratories, engineering colleges, polytechnics, ITIs, and testing facilities to recognised as Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs) under the Legal Metrology Rules, 2013.

Applications can be submitted online through the Department of Consumer Affairs's official portal emaap.gov.in/gatc from August 17-31, 2026, an official statement said on Tuesday.

The portal provides a fully digital application process, including online submission, fee payment, application tracking and communication with applicants, making the process transparent, efficient, and business-friendly.


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The initiative is aimed at expanding India's verification ecosystem for weights and measures by increasing the participation of technically competent private institutions.

So far, 51 GATCs are recognised in the country.

A larger network of GATCs will strengthen the country's verification capacity, improve access to verification services and enable faster compliance for industries, while ensuring accurate measurements for consumers.

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GATCs are authorised to carry out the verification and re-verification of specified weighing and measuring instruments used in trade and commerce.

Expanding the network of these centres will help make verification services more accessible, reduce turnaround time and improve the delivery of legal metrology services across the country.

Following recent amendments to the Legal Metrology (Government Approved Test Centre) Rules, 2013, recognised GATCs are now authorised to verify 23 categories of weighing and measuring instruments used across sectors, such as healthcare, energy, transport, retail, manufacturing, and infrastructure.

The expanded network of GATCs will complement the work of State Legal Metrology Departments by increasing verification capacity across the country. This will enable faster verification and re-verification of weighing and measuring instruments, while allowing state legal metrology officers to focus more on market surveillance, enforcement activities and consumer grievance redressal.

The initiative reflects the government's continued commitment to ease of doing business, digital governance, Atmanirbhar Bharat and consumer protection by creating a modern, technology-driven and transparent legal metrology ecosystem.

As India continues to strengthen its position as an OIML Certification Authority, the expanded GATC framework is also expected to enhance the country's quality infrastructure, promote internationally accepted measurement practices and support Indian industry in meeting global standards.