Stakeholders welcome governments notification on sale of loose hosiery garments

25 August 2022, Mumbai

As per latest notification issued by the Government of India, garments of hosiery products, sold in loose form, will henceforth not be covered under the provisions of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules. The notification defines a loose garment as one sold loose or open at the point of sale in a manner that enables the consumer to inspect the products before buying.

Eliminate Inspector Harassment

For years, CMAI had been urging concerned ministries to stop including garments in the list of ‘packaged’ commodities, as this prevents consumers from examining them for communicated parameters before.

The government’s recent notification is expected to minimize and eliminate the inspector harassment faced by the industry, says Rajesh Masand, President, of CMAI. “By giving a precise description of what constitutes a loose garment, the government has addressed a long-standing grievance of the Industry, and will hopefully minimize and even eliminate the inspector harassment faced by the industry,” opines Masand. Sanjay K Jain, Vice President, FOHMA agrees and says, “The government’s accurate definition of a loose garment addresses a long-standing grievance of the industry. This will help minimize and even eliminate the curse of inspector harassment.”

Improve ‘Ease of Doing Business in the industry

Hailing the move Rahul Mehta, Chief Mentor, and Past President, of CMAI says, “The other crucial clarification included in the current notification is that the garment should be in a loose form as defined in the notification, at the point of purchase by the consumer – again issuing a clarification that goods being in a packed form for safety or hygiene consideration during storage and transit before it reaches the point of purchase will not be considered as ‘packed’.” The details required to be indicated on garments by manufacturers include MRP, internationally accepted size indicators, name of the manufacturer or marketer or importer, as well as contact details of consumer care, which will offer protection to the consumer.

The notification is a result of years of representations by the industry, in particular the CMAI (Clothing Manufacturers Association of India) and FOHMA (Federation of Hosiery Manufacturers Association). FOHMA says, this step will help improve ease of doing business in the garment and retail industry.