If you are going to buy gold or its jewellery after March 30, then this news is very important for you to know. On Friday, the central government changed the rules for buying and selling gold and jewellery. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs spoke that after March 31, 2023, gold ornaments without 6-digit alphanumeric Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) could not be sold. This decision was taken after a meeting chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to review the activity of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Gold with a hallmark certificate is considered pure. Till June 16, 2021, it was purely optional. After that, the government decided to gradually introduce mandatory gold hallmarking. In the first phase, it was made compulsory in 256 districts, and in the second phase, 32 additional districts were added, making the total 288 districts.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs said that only HUID gold jewellery would be allowed to be sold from April 1, 2023.

Goyal also directed BIS to take the required steps to improve the quality and safety of products in India.

Nidhi Khare, the Additional Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, said that in the interest of consumers, it had been decided that the sale of gold jewellery and gold artefact without HUID hallmark will not be valid after March 31. She added currently, both four and six-digit HUIDs are in use.

The Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number is a six-digit alphanumeric code comprised of both numbers and letters. Every item of jewellery will be marked with a HUID at the time of hallmarking, and each one is different. The Assaying and Hallmarking Center (AHC) individually stamps the jewellery with a unique number.

Piyush Goyal, in the meeting, directed BIS to enhance the testing infrastructure in the country. As per the importance of components used for consumer safety, BIS was directed to augment the frequency of product testing and market surveillance. In addition, BIS needs to conduct laboratory inspections more frequently.

BIS has been directed to intensify market surveillance for various goods such as pressure cookers, helmets, and other consumer goods to ensure product safety.

BIS has put forward Quality Control Order (QCO) for 663 products in the coming times. At present, only 462 products are covered under QCO. Moreover, BIS is providing 80 percent concession in various product certifications in order to promote quality culture in micro-scale units. The additional 10 percent discount on properties in the Northeast will continue.