Jewelers throughout India are planning a strike on August 23 to protest the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) hallmarking procedure, which they claim has been “arbitrarily imposed.” The National Task Force on Hallmarking, which comprises 350 organisations and federations representing the gems and jewellery sector across India, has called for a one-day strike. While members of the task group support hallmarking, they say the procedure is time-consuming.
Since June 16, gold hallmarking has been required. In the first phase, it was implemented in 256 districts across India, and it applies to jewellers with an annual turnover of more than Rs. 40 lakhs. The primary goal of hallmarking is to safeguard the public from adulteration while also requiring manufacturers to adhere to regulatory fineness standards. Fines will be imposed on jewellers who sell non-certified items beginning in September. Jewellers face a backlog in the hallmarking process since it can take anywhere from five to 10 days for items to be hallmarked by certifying centres. As a result of the lack of hallmarking centres in India, the process has become time-consuming.
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At the time of hallmarking, each jewellery item is issued a Hallmarking Unique ID (HUID), which is a one-of-a-kind identifier. “However, BIS cannot show even one aspect of how it will improve gold purity. The customer expects high-quality gold jewellery, which we are pleased to provide.
“The new method has been created a ‘destructive procedure,’ which destroys our hallmarked jewellery,” said Ashok Minawala, previous head of the All-India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council and member of the National Task Force on Hallmarking. The task group recommended that hallmarking be based on the point of sale, as advocated by jewellers, and that all other uses like storage, exhibition, transportation, exhibit to sale, manufacturing, and so on be eliminated from the BIS Act and Regulations. Members of the task team believe that any penalties imposed on the jewellers would eventually lead to the closure of companies due to fear.
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