Plans to include gold bullion under mandatory hallmarking.

Hon’ble Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy  Pralhad Joshi chaired the 9th Governing Council Meeting of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), reaffirming the vital role of standardisation in driving India’s economic growth and global competitiveness.

During his presidential address, the Union Minister said BIS has brought 371 districts in the country under mandatory hallmarking scheme of jewellery thereby, providing quality assurance to consumers. He directed that more districts be also added in the coming year. He laid special emphasis on making industry and other stakeholders more aware of BIS initiatives.

He also stressed upon the importance of Indian standards for various products and services and appreciated the milestone achievements of BIS with formulation of 23798 Indian standards across sectors.

 Key announcements included:

•          Phased rollout of mandatory hallmarking for gold jewellery and artefacts.

•          Plans to include gold bullion under mandatory hallmarking.

•          Initiatives to standardize silver jewellery.

•          Major expansion of Indian quality standards across sectors.

•          Substantial investment to upgrade BIS testing infrastructure

The Minister stressed the need for greater awareness among industry and other stakeholders about BIS initiatives. Enhanced awareness is crucial for ensuring compliance, fostering trust, and encouraging voluntary adoption of standards beyond mandatory requirements.