The Government of India (GOI) is considering adding 56 new Hallmarking centres to the existing network of 288 districts in India.
A meeting was conveyed with various stakeholders, including jewellers, associations and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on August 17, to discuss the expansion of the mandatory gold hallmarking. Mandatory marking of bullion was discussed in the meeting as well.
Earlier, BIS, which ensures that quality goods and services reach consumers through various schemes, restricted the sale of hallmarked gold jewellery or gold artefacts without a six-character identification number.
Also known as the Hallmark Unique Identification Number (HUID), this alphanumeric number aimed at ensuring safety and protecting the consumer's interest is issued when hallmarking a piece of jewellery under the new rules.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished
