(a) whether the Government launched “the Hall Marking
Scheme of Gold Jewellery†in 2000;
(b) if so, the salient features thereof;
(c) the reasons for the lack of enthusiasm for this scheme so far;
(d) whether State Governments are being asked to popularise
this scheme; and
(e) if so, their response thus far to this scheme?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI V. SREENIVASA PRASAD)
(a) & (b): Yes, Sir. In order to protect consumers from
being cheated while purchasing gold jewellery, the
‘Hallmarking Scheme of Gold Jewellery’ was launched by
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in April 2000 under the BIS
Act, 1986. The scheme is voluntary in nature. The principal
objectives of the scheme are to ensure that the common
consumer is assured of the purity of gold jewellery
purchased by him and to guide the manufacturers to maintain
legal standards of fineness.
(c) to (e): The lack of enthusiasm for this scheme could
be attributed to inadequate infrastructure with respect to
availability of Hallmarking Centres in the country and lack
of public awareness. BIS is presently operating this Scheme
on voluntary basis only. Efforts to popularize the scheme
are made through a structured action plan implemented by 5
Regional and 19 Branch Offices of BIS catering to all states
of the country. So far State Governments have not
specifically been asked to popularize this scheme.