Centre notifies 3rd phase of mandatory gold hallmarking; additional 55 districts to be covered

The Centre on Friday expanded the scope of mandatory gold hallmarking by notifying the third phase of the mandatory hallmarking vide Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2023.

As per official sources, the third phase of the mandatory hallmarking will cover an additional 55 new districts under the mandatory hallmarking system. As a result, a hallmarking centre which has been setup post implementation of the second phase of the mandatory hallmarking order, thereby making the total number of districts covered under mandatory hallmarking to 343.

“BIS has been successful in implementation of Mandatory Hallmarking in 256 districts of the country with effect from June 23, 2021, in the first phase and in the additional 32 districts with effect from April 4, 2022, in second phase wherein more than 4 lakh gold articles are being hallmarked with HUID every day,” a PIB report said.

Since the implementation of mandatory hallmarking, number of registered jewellers have increased from 34,647 to 1, 81,590, while Assaying and Hallmarking Centers (AHCs) have increased from 945 to 1471. More than 26 crore articles of gold jewellery have been hallmarked with HUID so far, the report added.