Govt exempts loose garments from Packaged Commodities Act

Government has exempted garments sold loose from the provisions of the Packaged Commodities Act and simplified their labeling norms, a move likely to benefitthe country's apparel industry. According to the amendments, readymade garments sold in loose form have been exempted from Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Act, 2011, a senior official of the Textiles Ministry said. Rahul Mehta, President, Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) termed the move a game changer for the apparel industry. "It not only gives us ease of doing business but also provides freedom from the undue demands of the inspectors and their inspector raj," he said. As per the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Act 2011, there were no clear labeling guidelines for loose garments, which made it difficult for apparel retailers todemarcate the labeling procedure between pre-packaged and loose garments, thus causing unnecessary inconvenience during inspections at apparel retail showrooms. "The provisions of the Act were very severe for any offense and directors of a company were directly responsible for the same," Mehta pointed out. Now, with the new notification, loose garments are out of the purview of this act and the labeling norms simplified. In case of readymade garments sold to consumer in pre-packaged form, mandatory labeling along with size of the garments needs to be mentioned in metres or centimeters. Further, details such as S, M, L, XL, XXL will be treated as additional declaration. While speaking on this new reform, BIBA Managing Director Siddharth Bindra said removal of readymade garments from Packaged Commodities Act is a landmark step which will help in the ease of doing business and development of the apparel industry.