Citing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a lack of infrastructure, the All India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC) has written to the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution to consider extending the deadline for implementation of mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery to June 2022.
The mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery is now scheduled to come into force with effect from 1st June, 2021. The original deadline for its implementation was 15th January, 2021. GJC has organised a virtual meet on 21st April to discuss the challenges in implementing mandatory hallmarking.
GJC claimed that “only 8% of the entire country has the access to Assaying & Hallmarking (A&H) centres”, and “there is no presence of Hallmarking Centres in 488 districts”.
Ashish Pethe, Chairman, GJC, said, “Mandatory hallmarking in its current state has the potential to affect the livelihood of millions of people and will lead to huge disruption in the (centuries-old) jewellery business. Due to Covid-19, the jewellery business is already suffering, and mandatory hallmarking should be postponed by at least a year till the infrastructure is in place.”