Ram Vilas Paswan: ‘Will make hallmarking mandatory from December 15’

There are about 861 hallmarking centres in the country, mainly concentrated in metropolitan cities. We need about 400 more such centre, Paswan added.

Under the proposed rules hallmarking for gold jewellery will be done in three categories — 14 carat, 18 carat and 22 carat. Before January 2017, hallmarking used to be done in 9 carat, 14 carat, 17 carat, 18 carat and 23 carat.

The centre is finalising a road map to make hallmarking mandatory from December 15, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said Thursday. “India notified the proposed quality control order to the WTO (World Trade Organization) a month ago. The response time for member countries will be over on December 8. After that, we will make hallmarking mandatory from December 15”, Paswan told The Indian Express, after reviewing the preparation of the roadmap to implement the proposed regulation.

Consumer Affairs secretary Avinash K Srivastava, Director General of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Pramod Kumar Tiwari, and senior officers of the Ministry were present at the review meeting, which took place at the minister’s residence.

Sources at the meeting said that BIS had prepared a roadmap to rollout the mandatory hallmarking from the metropolitan cities, but Paswan asked them to begin it from district level. “People are aware of the quality of precious metals and jewellery in big cities. However, people in rural areas suffer due to the lack of testing facilities at district level. So we want to start mandatory hallmarking from district level. We will ensure at least one hallmarking centre in each district”, he said.

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There are about 861 hallmarking centres in the country, mainly concentrated in metropolitan cities. We need about 400 more such centre, Paswan added.

Harikishan Sharma

Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More

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