Union Minister for Food and public Affairs Pralhad Joshi urged the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on Monday to explore making hallmarking of silver jewellery and artifacts mandatory in response to public demand. Joshi indicated that the BIS has commenced conversations with stakeholders and is conducting a feasibility study.
After gathering feedback and conducting the study, the government will make a choice. Stakeholders in Gujarat and Karnataka have advocated for the extension of required hallmarking to silver. BIS Director General Pramod Kumar Tiwari stated that the agency could be ready to implement this within 3-6 months.
The action follows the successful implementation of mandatory gold hallmarking in June 2021, which currently includes 361 districts. Approximately 90% of gold jewellery is now hallmarked, with over 44.28 crore items bearing unique IDs. While silver hallmarking is currently optional, it is intended to boost consumer trust, ensure pricing transparency, and increase resale value if made required.