Lok Sabha Question No. 441 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-04
Subject: Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Artifacts in India
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik, Shrirang Appa Barne, Sudheer Gupta, Bidyut Baran Mahato

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 441 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.02.2020

## HALLMARKING OF GOLD JEWELLERY AND ARTIFACTS IN INDIA

441. SHRIMATI  RAKSHA  NIKHIL  KHADSE:  SHRI  GAJANAN  KIRTIKAR:  SHRI  SANJAY SADASHIV  RAO  MANDLIK:  SHRI  SHRIRANG  APPA  BARNE:  SHRI  SUDHEER  GUPTA: SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

## Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC  DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to make hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and artifacts mandatory in the  country  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  time  frame  fixed  by  the  Government  for implementation of the said proposal;
- (b) whether the Government is also insisting upon having hallmarks on all ornaments made of different grades numbering about 10;
- (c) the total number of assaying and hallmarking centres in the country, district and State/UT-wise;
- (d) whether there is adequate number of assaying and hallmarking centres in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor and the corrective measures taken/being taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (f) the other steps taken/being taken by the Government to protect the consumers from buying inferior quality jewellery?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h ¼Jh nkuos jkolkgsc nknkjko½

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI DANVE RAOSAHEB DADARAO)

- (a) : Yes Sir, Quality Control Order for Mandatory Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts Order, 2020 dated 15-1-2020 has been notified in the Gazette of India vide S.O. No. 205(E) dated 15-01-20 making hallmarking of  Gold jewellery  and  artifacts  mandatory  in  the  country  w.e.f. 15-1-2021 giving  a year's time for its implementation.
- (b) : Only  three  grades  namely  14,18  and  22  carats  for  gold  jewellery  and  artefacts,  as  prescribed  in Indian Standard IS: 1417: 2016 can be hallmarked.
- (c) : As on 25 Dec 2019, 892 Hallmarking and Assaying (A & H) centres throughout India have been recognized by BIS. The district and State/UT-wise list is attached at Annexure.

(d) & (e) : The average number of articles hallmarked per day per centre in the year is nearly 225 only.  A typical centre can hallmark 500 pieces per shift (or about 1500 pieces per day) with one set of machines. Thus,  the  average  utilization  of  the  capacity  of  the  A&H  centres  is  less  than  50  %  and  Therefore,  the average utilization of the capacity of the A&H centres is less than 50% and as on date there is no capacity constraint.

(f)  : Bureau  of  Indian  Standards  organizes  regular  Awareness  Programmes  through  its  various Regional Offices/Branch Offices.  Many of these awareness programmes are conducted in association with Consumer Organizations. These programmes focus on enhancing quality consciousness of consumers by highlighting issues of Standardization, promotion of BIS Standard Mark, Hallmarking of Gold & Silver and educating them on the misuse of BIS Standard mark & Complaint Redressal System for products with BIS Standard Mark.

*****

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO.441  FOR  04.02.2020  REGARDING  HALLMARKING  OF  GOLD  JEWELLERY  AND  ARTIFACTS  IN INDIA.

|          | &District wise list of Assaying State/UT   |   &Hallmarking No of A&HCentres |   Centres No of District. |   District. Covered |   District. Not Covered |
|----------|--------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------|-------------------------|
| Central  | Delhi                                      |                              42 |                        11 |                   6 |                       5 |
| Central  | Madhya Pradesh                             |                              16 |                        52 |                   8 |                      44 |
| Central  | Rajasthan                                  |                              42 |                        33 |                  15 |                      18 |
| Central  | Total                                      |                             100 |                        96 |                  29 |                      67 |
| Northern | Punjab                                     |                              23 |                        22 |                  11 |                      11 |
| Northern | Chandigarh                                 |                               5 |                         1 |                   1 |                       0 |
| Northern | Uttarakhand                                |                               3 |                        13 |                   2 |                      11 |
| Northern | Himachal Pradesh                           |                               2 |                        12 |                   2 |                      10 |
| Northern | Jammu and Kashmir                          |                               3 |                        20 |                   1 |                      19 |
| Northern | Ladakh                                     |                               0 |                         2 |                   0 |                       2 |
| Northern | Haryana                                    |                              19 |                        22 |                  12 |                      10 |
| Northern | Uttar Pradesh                              |                              66 |                        75 |                  20 |                      55 |
| Northern | Total                                      |                             121 |                       167 |                  49 |                     118 |
| Western  | Maharashtra                                |                             122 |                        36 |                  22 |                      14 |
| Western  | Gujarat                                    |                              76 |                        33 |                  23 |                      10 |
| Western  | Goa                                        |                               2 |                         2 |                   2 |                       0 |
| Western  | Dadra &Nagar Haveli                        |                               0 |                         1 |                   0 |                       1 |
| Western  | Daman &Diu                                 |                               0 |                         2 |                   0 |                       2 |
| Western  | Total                                      |                             200 |                        74 |                  47 |                      27 |
| Southern | Tamil Nadu                                 |                             101 |                        32 |                  22 |                      10 |
| Southern | Andhra Pradesh                             |                              43 |                        13 |                  12 |                       1 |
| Southern | Telangana                                  |                              34 |                        31 |                   3 |                      28 |
| Southern | Kerala                                     |                              70 |                        14 |                  13 |                       1 |
| Southern | Karnataka                                  |                              52 |                        30 |                  13 |                      17 |
| Southern | Puducherry                                 |                               2 |                         4 |                   1 |                       3 |
| Southern | Lakshadweep                                |                               0 |                         1 |                   0 |                       1 |
| Southern | Andaman &Nicobar Islands                   |                               0 |                         3 |                   0 |                       3 |
| Southern | Total                                      |                             302 |                       128 |                  64 |                      64 |
| Eastern  | Bihar                                      |                              25 |                        38 |                  11 |                      27 |
| Eastern  | Jharkhand                                  |                               9 |                        24 |                   4 |                      20 |
| Eastern  | Odisha                                     |                              20 |                        30 |                   6 |                      24 |
| Eastern  | Chhattisgarh                               |                               6 |                        27 |                   2 |                      25 |
| Eastern  | Assam                                      |                               5 |                        33 |                   3 |                      30 |
| Eastern  | Tripura                                    |                               2 |                         8 |                   2 |                       6 |
| Eastern  | Arunachal Pradesh                          |                               0 |                        25 |                   0 |                      25 |
| Eastern  | Nagaland                                   |                               0 |                        11 |                   0 |                      11 |
| Eastern  | Meghalaya                                  |                               0 |                        11 |                   0 |                      11 |
| Eastern  | Sikkim                                     |                               0 |                         4 |                   0 |                       4 |
| Eastern  | Mizoram                                    |                               0 |                         8 |                   0 |                       8 |
| Eastern  | West Bengal                                |                             102 |                        23 |                  17 |                       6 |
| Eastern  | Manipur                                    |                               0 |                        16 |                   0 |                      16 |
| Eastern  | Total                                      |                             169 |                       258 |                  45 |                     213 |
| Eastern  | Grand Total                                |                             892 |                       723 |                 234 |                     489 |