Question : Adulteration in Gold

(a) whether large scale adulteration in gold jewellery have been reported in several parts of the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the effective measures taken to check such incidents indicating the number of cases reported during each of the last three years and the current year;

(c) whether the Government proposes to set up any mechanism in the rural areas of the country to detect and investigate such incidents; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

THE MINISTER FOR
CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN)

(a) to (d) : Madam, No such report has been received. However, the most recent survey (2006) conducted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in 16 cities indicated that 90% of the samples of non-hallmarked jewellery had 13.5% average shortfall in declared purity.

BIS has notified a quality assurance standard (IS:1417) for gold jewellery and to encourage jewellers to sell gold jewellery that adheres to the standard, BIS introduced the hallmarking scheme in 2000 under which gold jewellers are encouraged to take license from BIS. This license allows jewellers to use the hallmark which is a certificate of the purity of the gold.

Both the Department of Consumer Affairs, under its “Jago Grahak Jago” campaign, as well as the BIS undertake publicity campaign including advertisements in print and electronic media to create awareness amongst consumers on the importance of buying hallmarked jewellery.

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