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STANDARDS OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT 1956

THE STANDARDS OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT, 1956

ACT NO. 89 OF 1956

[28th December. 1956]

An Act to establish standards of weights and measures based on the metric system BE it enacted by Parliament in the Seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:-

Short title, extent and commencement.

1. Short title, extent and commencement. (1) This Act may be called the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1956.

(2) It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and kashmir.

(3) It shall come into force on such date, not being later than ten years from the passing of this Act, as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act 'or for different areas or for different classes of undertakings or for different classes of goods.

Definitions. 2. Definitions. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-- (a) "First General Conference of Weights and Measures' means the Conference Generale des poids et Mesures held at Paris in 1889; (b) "International Bureau of Weights and Measures" means the Bureau Internationale des poids et Mesures at Sevres in France; (c) "kilogram" means the mass of the platinum-iridium cylinder deposited at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures and declared international prototype of the kilogramme by the First General Conference of Weights and Measures, (d) "metre" means the distance, at zero degree centigrade and under normal atmospheric pressure, between the axes of the two median lines traced on the platinum-iridium bar deposited at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures and declared international prototype of the metre by the First General Conference of Weights and Measures; (e) "normal atmospheric pressure" means the pressure exercised by 101325 newtons per square metre, a newton being the force which imparts to a mass of one kilogram an acceleration of one metre per second per second.

Primary unit of length.

3. Primary unit of length. (1) The primary unit of length shall be a metre.

(2) For the purpose of deriving the value of the metre, the Central Government shall cause to be prepared a national prototype of the metre and shall cause the same to be certified in terms of the international prototype of the metre and shall deposit the same in such custody and at such place as the Central Government may think fit.

Primary unit of mass and standard unit of weight.

4. Primary unit of mass and standard unit of weight. (1) The primary unit of mass shall be a kilogram.

(2) For the purpose of deriving the value of kilogram, the Central Government shall cause to be prepared a national prototype of the kilogram and shall cause the same to be certified in ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *. 1-7-58 the central government M/s control the forward Market (Registration) Act 1952 (74 of 1952) in so far as the undertake the regulation and control of forward contract in raw and manufactured Jute vide Notf.No. SO 1033 dated. 30.5.58 G--9 part II sec. 3 page

*. 1-7-58 in respect of Jute mills in so far as they undertake the purchase of raw Jute and sale of Jute products vide SO 698 date 26.4.58, gazette of India Part II sec. 3 (ii) p.471. The provisions of this Act in so far as they relate to units of mass shall come into force in respect of transactions involving sale and purchase of goods in the district of Durbhanga in the State of Bihar on 15-12-1958, vide Notification No. S.O. 2627, dated 6-12-1958, Gazette of India, Part II, Section 3 (ii) page 2895. ---------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) 1-10-1958 in respect of the classes of undertakings and classes of goods specified in the Tables A and B below and to the extent specified therein, vide Notifn. No. S.O. 1251 dated 24-6-1958, Gazette of India, Part II, section 3 sub-section (ii), page-770, Ex- ord. TABLE A 1. The Indian Airlines and Air India International Corporations in so far as they undertake air transport services, except in matters relating to air distances and speed of aircraft. 2. Government Departments and commercial and industrial undertakings-..... owned or controlled by Government in so far as they undertake the purchase or supply of stores, including drugs. 3. Government Departments in so far as they undertake survey of land or mines. 4. Government Department in so far as they undertake the study or publication of any technical, scientific or marketing data relating to weather, irrigation and power projects or undertake drawings and specifications of scientific apparatus for use in laboratories and educational institutions except in matters relating to air distances and speed of aircraft. TABLE B 1. Cotton Textile Mills is so far as they undertake the purchase of cotton or sale of cloth. 2. Iron and Steel factories in so far as they undertake the purchase of raw materials or sale of iron and steel products. 3. Factories engaged in engineering industry in so far as they undertake the sale of their products. 4. Factories engaged in the manufacture of heavy chemicals in so far as they undertake the purchase of raw materials or sale of their products. 5. Factories engaged in the manufacture of cement in so far as they undertake the sale of cement. 6. Factories engaged in the manufacture of salt in so far as they undertake the sale of salt. 7. Factories engaged in the manufacture of paper, pulp, or paper board in so far as they undertake the sale of paper, pulp, or board. 8. Factories engaged in the manufacture of refractories, in so far as they undertake the sale of refractories. 9. Coffee Board, in so far as it undertakes the sale of coffee from the surplus pool, either by itself or through its agents. 10. Factories engaged in the manufacture of copper, aluminium, lead, antimony and tin in so far as they undertake the sale of copper, aluminium, lead, antimony and tin including alloys and products of these metals. 11. Associations recognised by the Central Government under section 6 of the Forward Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1952 (74 of 1952) in so far as they undertake the regulation and control of forward contracts in cotton. 12. Sale of raw rubber. The provisions of this Act in so far as they relate to units of mass in respect of transactions involving sale and purchase of goods shall come into force in the State or Union territory specified in the corresponding entry in column 1 thereof on 1-10-1958, see Notifn. No. S.O. 1250, dated 24-6-1958, Gazette of India, Part II, Sec. 3, Sub- section (ii). page-769, Ex-ord. TABLE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- States Areas in which metric weights will be introduced on 1-10-58 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Andhra Pradesh Distric of Visakhaatnam, Kr Nazambad,hna, Gn areas Kurnool, yderab ad, Waran gl, Market Crops notified unde the adra Cmmercil Cops Markets Acts, 1933 (XX of 1939) and the Hyderabad Agricultural Market Act, 1939 Fasli (ii of 1939 F.) Assam. Municipal areas of Gauhati and District of Nowgon. Bihar. Divisions of Bhagalpur and Ranchi and the Municiapal areas of Patna, Gaya, Arrah, Chhapra, Muzzafarpur, Champaran and Durbhanga. Bombay. Municiapal areas of Bombay, Poona, Admedabad, Rajkot, Baroda, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Sholapur, Kohlapur, Akola, Amravati, Wardha and Yeotamal. Market areas notified under the Bombay Agricultural Produce Market Act, 1939, (XXII of 1939), the Hyderabad Agricultural Market, 1339 Fasli (II of 1339 F), the Saurashtra Agricultural Produce Market Act, 1955 (XVI of 55) and the Central Provinces and Berar Agricultural Procuce Market Act, 1935 (XXIX of 1935), in Nasik, Dhulia, Lasalgaon, Sangli, Karad, Latur, Jalna, Nanded, Ahmedanagar, Shrirampur, Dhansura, Patna, Unjha, Kapadwanj, Pachora, Jalgaon, Malegaon, Dondiacha, Savarkundla and Una. Kerala. Districts of Kozhikode, Earnakulam and Quilon. Madhaya Pradehs. Districts of Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior and Jabbalpur. Market areas notified under the Central Provinces and Berar Agricultural Produce Market Act, 1935 (XXIX of 1935), the central Provinces and Berar Cotton Market Act, 1932 (IX of 1932), and the Madhaya Bharat Agricultural Markets Act, 1952 (17 of 1952). ----------------------------------------------------------------------

(2) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Madras. Districts of Madras, Chinglepur, South Arcot and North Acrot. Market area notified under the Madras Commercial Crops Markets Act, 1933 (XX of 1933). Mysore. District of Bangalore, Raichur and Dharwarl Market areas notified under the Mysore Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1939 (XXII or 1939), Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1939 (XXII of 1939) and Hyderabad Agricultural Market Act, 1939 Fasli (II of 1939 F). Orissa. Municipal areas of Berhampur, Cuttack and Sambalpur. Punjab. District of Amritsar, Jullundur Ludhiana, Ambala, Patiala and Gorgaon. Market areas notified under the Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1939 (V of 1939) and the Patiala and the East Punjab States Union Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 2004 BK (XIV of 2004 BK) Rajasthan. District of Ajmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Kotah and Udaipur. Uttar Pradesh. Municipal areas of Meerut, Agra, Lucknow, Bareilly, Moradabad, Varanasi, Kanpur, Jhansi Allahabad and Gorakhpur. West Bengal. Municipal areas of Calcutta and Howrah. UNION TERRITORY Delhi. The whole of Delhi Himanchal Pradesh. Districts of Mandi and Siramur. Manipur. Municipal area of Imphal. Tripura. Municipal area of Agartatla. Andaman and Nicobar Port Blair. Islands. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1013 terms of the international proto-type of kilogramme and shall deposit the same in such custody and at such place as the Central Government may think fit.

(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) of this section and. section 12, the primary' unit of mass for precious stones shall be a carat which is equal to one-five-thousandth of one kilogram.

(4) The standard unit of weight at any place shall be the weight of the primary unit of mass at that place.

Unit of time.

5. Unit of time. (1) The primary unit of time shall be a second.

(2) A second means 1/31,556,925.975 of the length of the tropical year for 1900.0, the year commencing at 12. 00 hours universal time on the 1st day of January, 1900.

Unit of electric current.

6. Unit of electric current. (1) The unit of electric current shall be an ampere.

(2) An ampere means that constant current which, flowing two parallel straight conductors of infinite length, of negligible circular cross section and placed at a distance of one metre from each other in vacuum, produces a force of 2 X 10-7 newtons per metre length between the conductors.

Scale of temperature. 7. Scale of temperature. The scale of temperature shall be the centigrade scale otherwise known as celsius where the temperature, under normal atmospheric pressure, is taken to be zero degree at the melting point of ice and one hundred degrees at the boiling point of water.

Unit of luminous intensity.

8. Unit of luminous intensity. (1) The unit of luminous intensity shall be the candela.

(2) A candela means one-sixtieth part of luminous intensity normally emitted by one centimetre square of integral radiator (black body) at the temperature of solidification of platinum.

Primary unit of area. 9. Primary unit of area. The primary unit of area shall be the square metre.

Primary unit of volume. 10. Primary unit of volume. The primary unit of volume shall be the cubic metre.

Unit of capacity. 11. Unit of capacity. The unit of capacity shall be a litre which is the volume occupied by the mass of one kilogram of pure air-free water at the temperature of its maximum density and under normal atmospheric pressure.

Secondary units of mass and measures. 12. Secondary units of mass and measures. The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare in relation to the units of mass and measures referred to in sections 3 and 4 and sections 9 to 11, both inclusive, the magnitude and denominations of such units of mass and measures as it thinks fit to be the Secondary units of mass and measures under this Act; 1014 Provided that every such secondary unit shall be an integral power of-ten (positive or negative) of any one of such units.

Standards of mass and measures.

13. Standards of mass and measures. (1) The units of mass and measures referred to in sections 3 and 4 and, sections 9 to 11, both inclusive, and the secondary units of mass and measures declared under section 12 shall be the standards of mass and measures.

(2) No unit of mass or measure other than the units of mass and

measures referred to in sub-section (1) shall be used as a standard mass or measure.

Continuance of certain weights and measures during transitionalperiod. 14. Continuance of certain weights and measures during

transitional period. (1) Notwithstanding that this Act has come into force in respect of any area or class of goods or undertakings, the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, permit the continuance of the use, after such commencement, in respect of that area or class of goods or undertakings, of such weights and measures, in addition to the standards of mass and measures and for such period, not exceeding three years, as may be specified in the notification.

(2) Nothing in sub-section (1) shall be deemed to empower the Central Government to issue any such notification in respect of any weight or measure which was not in use immediately before the commencement of this Act.

Sets of standards of mass and measures.

15. Sets of standards of mass and measures. (1) The Central Government shall cause to be prepared as many sets as it may deem necessary of such standards of mass and measures referred to in section 13 or multiples or sub-multiples thereof As the Central Government may consider expedient, and shall cause each mass and measure of such set to be authenticated as having been ascertained from the primary units of mass or measure, as the case may be.

(2) The Central Government shall supply to each of the State Governments as many such sets as it may deem fit.

Conversion of existing weights and measures into standard mass andmeasures. 16. Conversion of existing weights and measures into standard

mass and measures. (1) The value expressed in terms of any weight set

forth in sub-section (1) of section 3 of the standards of Weight Act, 1939, (9 of 1939) or in terms of any measure expressed in inches, feet, yards or miles or in gallons may be converted into the value expressed in terms of a standard mass or measure at the rates specified in the First Schedule.

(2) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify the rates at which the value expressed In terms of

any weight or measure other than those referred to in subsection (1) may be converted into the value expressed in terms of a standard mass or measure, 1017 1017 6. The Cochin Weights and Measures Act, 1112 (LXIII of 1112). 7. The Coorg Act, 1954 (VII of 1954). 8. The Hyderabad Weights and Measures Act, 1356 Fasli (XIV of 1356 Fasli). 9. The Madhya Bharat Weight, Act, 1954 (21 of 1954). 10. The Madras Weights and Measures Act, 1948 (XXII of 1948), as in force in the State of Madras or of Andhra 11. The Mysore Weights and Measures Act, 1902 (III of 1902). 12. The Orissa Weights and Measures Act. 1943 (VII of 1943). 13. The Punjab Weights and Measures Act, 1941 (XII of 1941). 14. The Rajasthan Weights and Measures Act, 1954 (XIX of 1954). 15. The Travancore Weights and Measures Act, 1085 (VI of 1085). 16. The United Provinces Weights and Measures Act, 1947 (XXII of 1948).


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