Ram Vilas Paswan briefs regarding mandatory hallmarking of Gold jewelry

Addressing the media, Shri Paswan said that the purpose of making hallmarking mandatory for Gold Jewelry and Artefacts is to ensure that consumers are not cheated while buying gold ornaments and get the purity as marked on the ornaments, they are better informed about the purity of Gold which will now be in only 3 caratage i.e. 14, 18 and 22 and corruption is removed.

The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution today held a press conference regarding mandatory hallmarking of Gold jewelry & artifacts in India for which notification will be issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs provides a period of one year for implementation i.e. till January 2021. Addressing the media, Shri Paswan said that the purpose of making hallmarking mandatory for Gold Jewelry and Artefacts is to ensure that consumers are not cheated while buying gold ornaments and get the purity as marked on the ornaments, they are better informed about the purity of Gold which will now be in only 3 caratage i.e. 14, 18 and 22 and corruption is removed.

Explaining the reasons for the one-year implementation period, Shri Paswan said that this will ensure that Jewelers registration process can be completed and jewelers/retailers get time for clearing their old/existing stock and also so that additional A&H centers can be set up by private entrepreneurs at various locations where demand arises and priority shall be given to districts where such centers are not present. As of 31st December 2019, there are 892 Assaying and Hallmarking centers spread in 234 District locations across the country and so far 28,849 jewelers have been registered by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

BIS (Hallmarking) Regulations, 2018 were notified w.e.f. 14.06.2018. BIS is running a hallmarking scheme for gold jewelry since April 2000. The BIS Act 2016 has to enable provisions under Section 14 & Section 16 for mandatory hallmarking of Gold jewelry & artifacts by the Central Government. This will make it compulsory for all the jewelers selling  Gold jewelry and artifacts to register with BIS & sell only hallmarked Gold jewelry & artifacts. The draft Quality Control Order (QCO) for mandatory hallmarking of gold jewelry and gold artifacts was hosted on the WTO website on 10 October 2019 for comments for a period of 60 days. No comments have been received on the draft QCO.

The caratage is marked on jewelry in addition to fineness for convenience of consumers, e.g. for 22-carat jewelry, 22K will be marked in addition to 916, for 18-carat jewelry, 18K will be marked in addition to 750 and for 14-carat jewelry, 14K will be marked in addition to 585. 

An awareness campaign on mandatory hallmarking for jewelers and common consumers will be organized at various locations across the country. BIS is also planning to outreach consumers through social media and other forms.

(With Inputs from PIB)