Sale of gold jewellery and gold artefacts without HUID will not be permitted from April 1, according to an official statement. Hallmark unique identification (HUID) number is a six-digit alphanumeric code consisting of numbers and letters.
“Starting from April 1, 2023, the sale of only gold jewellery with HUID shall be permitted,” the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said in a statement on Friday, March 4. Gold hallmarking is a purity certification of the precious metal. Gold hallmarking was voluntary in nature till June 16, 2021.
It also said that in an effort to promote quality culture in micro scale units, BIS is providing an 80 per cent concession on the certification/ minimum marking fee across various product certification schemes of BIS. Additionally, units located in the north-east will continue to receive an extra 10 per cent concession.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday, March 4, chaired a meeting to review the activities of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
The mandatory gold hallmarking was implemented in a phased manner. In the first phase, it was made mandatory in 256 districts. A total of 32 more districts were added in the second stage, taking the total number to 288 districts. Fifty-one more districts are being added.
According to a PTI report, Nidhi Khare, additional secretary in the department of consumer affairs, said that “in consumers interest, it has been decided that after March 31st, sale of gold jewellery and gold artefacts hallmarked without HUID will not be permitted.” Currently, she said four digits as well as six-digit HUID are being used currently.
She said the hallmarked gold jewellery items are being sold across the country, even in those districts where it is not mandatory yet because of consumers demand for quality product.
HUID will be given to every piece of jewellery at the time of hallmarking and it is unique for every piece of jewellery. The jewellery is stamped with the unique number manually at the Assaying & Hallmarking Centre (AHC).
Piyush Goyal said, “We are committed to ensuring that all products in India meet the highest quality and safety standards. These measures shall promote micro scale units, enhance the testing infrastructure, and develop a culture of quality consciousness among citizens.”
Meanwhile, BIS has proposed quality control orders (QCO) for 663 products in the coming time. Currently, there are 462 products covered under QCOs. BIS will involve college students/ NCC cadets/ scouts in their efforts to develop quality consciousness and culture in the country.
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