Hallmarking row: No effect of strike, says government; but jewellers disagree

The government on Monday said the nationwide strike called by the All-India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC) against the government’s gold hallmarking rules had “no impact” and only a “ very small section of jewellers” took part in the strike.

The consumer affairs ministry issued a statement saying, “The strike called by a very small section of jewellers has had no impact.”

However, jewellery associations claimed a strong response, as most jewellery shops, barring the big names, remained shut.


The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is implementing a mandatory gold hallmarking system—called Hallmarking Unique ID (HUID)—in the country in a phased manner.

Gold hallmarking is a purity certification of the precious metal and has come into force from June 16.

As many as 350 jewellery associations are against the HUID system which, they claim, has nothing to do with the purity of gold but is just a tracking mechanism.

These jewellers, who have formed a ‘national taskforce’ for smooth implementation of hallmarking, have demanded that the government should form a ‘neutral committee’ to address the concerns of the stakeholders.