New Delhi, Sep 14 (KNN) Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) has welcomed the Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s proposal to the Commerce Ministry to make BIS hallmarking mandatory for gold jewellery before Diwali.

"We have sent a proposal to the commerce ministry to allow mandatory hallmarking for gold jewellery. It should approve on a priority basis before Diwali in the interest of consumers," Paswan had told reporters on Thursday.

While speaking to KNN India over this, IBJA, spokesperson Ketan Shroff on Saturday said that be it today or tomorrow the hallmarking needs to get it done and the reason behind it that there should be transparency and the customer should get the product as declared.

‘’Hallmark is necessary for the clarity and for betterment of the customers. In the long run it will pay your credibility and your goodwill will come. The customer also come to you if have a goodwill and if you providing a good product it will be long lasting’’ he asserted.

The hallmarking of gold, which is voluntary in nature at present, is a purity certification of the precious metal.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), under the consumer affairs ministry, is the administrative authority of hallmarking. It has set standards for hallmarking gold jewellery in three grades -- 14 carat, 18 carat and 22 carat.

When asked, whether you appreciate the proposal given by Paswan to commerce ministry, he replied, ‘’Exactly, the system has to be in place before anything goes wrong or it should place smoothly. So, there is no harassment nor there will be problem with the actual businessmen. The actual reason is that the business is down so it can be put in a slower way and gradually."

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