Context: The government of India recently announced that the sale of gold jewellery and gold artefacts hallmarked without a six-digit alphanumeric shall not be permitted from April 1, 2023.
About Bureau of Indian Standards(BIS):
BIS is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016
It works under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
It was formerly the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), set up under the Resolution of the Department of Industries and Supplies in 1946.
The ISI was registered under the Societies Registration Act, of 1860.
A new Bureau of Indian standard (BIS) Act 2016 was brought into force in 2017.
BIS has its Headquarters in New Delhi.
President, Ex-officio:Hon’ble Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.
Vice President, Ex-officio:Hon’ble Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.
Objectives: harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
BIS is involved in various activities as given below:
Standards Formulation
Product Certification Scheme
Compulsory Registration Scheme
Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme
Hall Marking Scheme
Laboratory Services
Laboratory Recognition Scheme
Sale of Indian Standards
Consumer Affairs Activities
Promotional Activities
Training Services, National & International level
Information Services
About Hallmark:
Hallmarks are thus official marks used in many countries as a guarantee of the purity or fineness of precious metal articles.
The principle objectives of the Hallmarking Scheme :
to protect the public against adulteration
to obligate manufacturers to maintain legal standards of fineness.
Who issues Hallmark: Bureau of Indian Standards
For which products: Gold and silver jewellery
Applicable since: It is applicable for gold since 2000 and for silver since 2005.
Procedure For Obtaining Registration by Jeweller for Sale of Hallmarked Jeweller / Artefacts
Any jeweller willing to obtain a certificate of registration for selling Hallmarked Gold and Silver Jewelry/artefacts shall apply online in the BIS portal.
The certificate of registration is granted instantly to the jeweller without the need to upload any document or pay any fees for the same.
The certificate of registration stands valid for a lifetime.
About Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID):
HUID is a six-digit alphanumeric code .
It is given to every piece of jewellery at the time of hallmarking and is unique for each piece.
It is being implemented by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in a phased manner.
Hallmarking & HUID are mandatory for 14-, 18- and 22-carat gold jewellery and artefacts.
The Government has made it mandatory the introduction of a HUID number in every piece of jewellery.
