Gold and Jewelery Buyers: The government said that from April 1, sale of gold jewelery and gold artefacts will not be allowed without a six-digit alphanumeric HUID (unique identification number). Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday chaired a meeting to review the activities of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
In order to promote quality culture in micro scale units, it has been decided that BIS will provide 80 per cent concession on certification/minimum marking fee in various product certification schemes.
Gold hallmarking mandatory
Gold hallmarking is a certificate of purity of the precious metal. It was voluntary till June 16, 2021. Thereafter, the government decided to make gold hallmarking mandatory in a phased manner. In the first phase, it was made mandatory in 256 districts and in the second phase 32 more districts were added, taking the total number to 288 districts. Now 51 more districts are being added.
Now what will change from April 1
“From April 1, 2023, only gold jewelery will be allowed to be sold against HUID,” said an official statement. Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, said that in the interest of consumers, it has been decided that after March 31, sale of hallmarked gold jewelery and gold artefacts without HUID will not be permitted.
He said that currently also four digit as well as six digit HUID is being used. He said that hallmarked gold jewelery is being sold across the country, even in districts where it is not yet mandatory due to consumer demand for quality products. However, now it is being made mandatory from April 1. Customers should also be alert.
