Sale of gold jewellery hallmarked without 6-digit code to be banned after March 31

Sale of gold jewellery and gold artefacts hallmarked without six-digit code shall be banned from next month. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution made an official statement in this regard and said that the decision has been taken to ensure quality culture in micro sale units. The statement made it clear that effective from 1st April 2023, sale of only those gold jewellery and gold artefacts shall be permitted that have been hallmarked with six-digit alphanumeric HUID — unique identification number. The decision was taken after a review meeting of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) held on 3rd March 2023 chaired by the union cabinet minister Piyush Goyal.

“Starting from 1st April 2023, the sale of only gold jewellery with HUID shall be permitted,” the official statement of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said adding, “In an effort to promote quality culture in micro scale units, BIS is providing an 80% 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% concession.”

Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary at 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.” She said that currently our digits as well as six-digit HUID are being used.

Here we list out some other important decisions taken at the BIS review meeting:

– BIS shall augment the testing infrastructure in the country.

– It would increase the frequency of product testing and Market Surveillance depending on the criticality of components used for the consumer safety. BIS should also increase the frequency of lab inspection.

– BIS shall enhance Market Surveillance for different products such as Pressure Cooker, Helmets, and other consumer products to ensure product safety and to bring quality consciousness in the country.

– BIS shall map standards against various government schemes and produce booklets in simple and local languages to enhance accessibility and develop a culture of quality consciousness among citizens.

– BIS has proposed Quality Control Orders (QCO) for 663 products in the coming time. Currently, there are 462 products covered under QCOs.

While commenting upon the decisions taken in BIS review meeting, 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.”