Introduction

In a recent development, the Indian government has taken a significant step in ensuring the authenticity and quality of gold jewelry by expanding the scope of Mandatory Gold Hallmarking. The Department of Consumer Affairs, under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, has officially added 56 new districts to the existing network of 288 districts across the country where the hallmarking of gold is mandatory. This decision follows a consultation with key stakeholders, including jewelers, associations, and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), highlighting the government’s commitment to maintaining the quality of gold products in India.

Background

The move to expand mandatory gold hallmarking comes after thorough discussions and consultations. On August 17, a meeting was convened by the government with various stakeholders, where matters related to gold hallmarking were extensively deliberated. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality of goods and services for consumers, participated in these discussions.

Expanded List of Districts for Gold Hallmarking

With the latest addition of districts, here is the complete list of regions where the mandatory hallmarking of gold jewelry is now enforced:

Delhi: Central Delhi, East Delhi, New Delhi, North Delhi, North West Delhi, South Delhi, South East Delhi, and West Delhi

Maharashtra: Ahmednagar, Akola, Amravati, Aurangabad, Chandrapur, Dhule, Jalgaon, Jalna, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Nagpur, Nanded, Nandurbar, Nashik, Palghar, Parbhani, Pune, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Satara, Sindhudurg, Solapur, Thane, Wardha, and Yavatmal

Jammu & Kashmir: Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Srinagar, and Udhampur

Himachal Pradesh: Hamirpur, Kangra, and Mandi

Uttarakhand: Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Pauri Garhwal, and Pithoragarh

Punjab: Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Mansa, Moga, Pathankot, Patiala, Sangrur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, and Sri Muktsar Sahib

Haryana: Ambala, Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Faridabad, Fatehabad, Gurugram, Hissar, Jind, Kaithal, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Mahendragarh, Palwal, Rewari, Rohtak, Sirsa, Sonipat, and Yamuna Nagar

Uttar Pradesh: Agra, Prayagraj, Ambedkar Nagar, Auraiya, Azamgarh, Ballia, Barabanki, Bareilly, Bhadohi, Budaun, Deoria, Etawah, Faizabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Jaunpur District, Jhansi, Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar, Mathura, Meerut, Mirzapur, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Pratapgarh, Raebareli, Saharanpur, Shahjahanpur, Varanasi, and Basti

Rajasthan: Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Churu, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Kota, Nagaur, Pali, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar, Sirohi, Sriganganagar, Udaipur, and Jalore

Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Anand, Kutch, Jamnagar, Surat, Vadodara, Porbandar, and Valsad. Additionally, various other districts in the state are now included under mandatory hallmarking, such as Banaskantha, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Botad, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Junagadh, Kheda, Mehsana, Morbi, Navsari, Patan, Rajkot, Sabarkantha, Surendranagar, and Tapi

Bihar: Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Buxar, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Gaya, Khagaria, Kishanganj, Madhubani, Munger, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Nawada, Patna, Rohtas, Samastipur, Saran, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, Siwan, Madhepura, and Purnea

West Bengal: Alipurduar, Bankura, Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Hooghly, Howrah, Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar, Kolkata, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Paschim Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur, Purulia, South 24 Parganas, and Uttar Dinajpur

Assam: Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Cachar, Jorhat, Kamrup Metro, Nagaon, Tinsukia, and Sivasagar

Tripura: North Tripura and West Tripura

Madhya Pradesh: Balaghat, Bhopal, Chhatarpur, Chhindwara, Dewas, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Katni, Morena, Ratlam, Rewa, Satna, and Ujjain

Jharkhand: Bokaro, Dhanbad, East Singhbhum, Garhwa, Ranchi, and Deoghar

Odisha: Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Ganjam, Jajpur, Khordha, Mayurbhanj, Puri, and Sambalpur

Chhattisgarh: Bilaspur, Durg, Raipur, and Rajnandagaon

Goa: North Goa and South Goa

Karnataka: Bagalkot, Belagavi, Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada, Davanagere, Dharwad, Gadag, Gulbarga, Hassan, Kolar, Mandya, Mysore, Raichur, Shimoga, Tumkur, Uduppi, Uttara Kannada, Vijaypura (Bijapur), Chikkamagaluru, and Bellary