CMAI Hails Exemption Of Loose Garments From Provisions Of Packaged Commodities Act

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CMAI Hails Exemption Of Loose Garments From Provisions Of Packaged Commodities Act

Clothing Manufacturers' Association of India (CMAI) President Rahul Mehta has welcomed the decision to exempt readymade garments sold in loose form from provisions of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Act, 2011.

"The Government of India's move is a game changer for the apparel industry. It not only gives us the ease of doing business but also provides freedom from undue demands of the inspectors and their inspector raj. I am thankful to Honourable Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani and Honourable Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan, for this progressive step to resolve a long standing demand from the apparel industry," Mehta said.

As per the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Act 2011, there were no clear labelling guidelines for loose garments, which made it difficult for apparel retailers to demarcate the labelling procedure between pre-packaged and loose garments, thus causing unnecessary inconvenience during inspections at apparel retail showrooms. Provisions of the Act were very severe for any offence and directors of the company were directly held responsible for the same.

Loose garments by their definition and usage should not have been under the ambit of the Packaged Commodities Act. These were archaic laws which were irritants for apparel retailers, he stated, according to a release.

After the new notification, loose garments are out of the purview of this act and labelling norms have been simplified.

In case of readymade garments sold to consumers in pre-packaged form, mandatory labelling along with size of the garments needs to be mentioned in metres or centimetres. Further, details such as S, M, L, XL, XXL etc, will be treated as additional declaration, the release stated.

Speaking about this new reform, BIBA Managing Director Siddharth Bindra commented, "Removal of readymade garments from Packaged Commodities Act is a landmark step which will certainly help in the ease of doing business and development of the apparel business in India."