The Indian government has taken another step in ensuring the authenticity and purity of gold jewelry and artefacts by expanding the mandatory hallmarking initiative to include 55 additional districts. This move brings the total number of districts covered under mandatory hallmarking to 343 across the country.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution made the announcement, stating that the third phase of mandatory hallmarking would encompass the new districts where hallmarking centers have been established following the implementation of the second phase of the mandatory hallmarking order.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) introduced mandatory hallmarking for gold jewelry and artefacts in 256 districts on June 23, 2021, marking the first phase of the initiative. Subsequently, 32 more districts were included in the second phase.
According to the government, the second phase of the exercise has seen more than 400,000 gold articles being hallmarked daily. This significant increase underscores the growing importance of hallmarking for both consumers and the jewelry industry.
Since the implementation of mandatory hallmarking, the number of registered jewellers has surged from 34,647 to an impressive 181,590. Additionally, the Assaying and Hallmarking Centers (AHCs) have grown from 945 to 1,471, further enhancing the infrastructure for hallmarking.
To empower consumers and ensure the authenticity of hallmarked gold jewellery items, the government encourages individuals to verify their purchases using the “verify HUID” (Hallmark Unique Identification) number through the BIS Care app. The app has witnessed substantial adoption, with downloads increasing from 2.3 lakhs in 2021-22 to 12.4 lakhs in the current fiscal year. Moreover, more than one crore “verify HUID” hits have been recorded in the app over the past two years.
The expansion of mandatory hallmarking is a significant step towards enhancing consumer confidence in the quality and purity of gold jewelry and artefacts, ultimately benefiting both buyers and the jewelry industry in India.
