Jewellers stage protest against mandatory gold hallmarking

They demand postponement of new system

The All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council and All Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants’ Association have demanded that implementation of the six-digit alpha numerical hallmarking for unique identification on jewellery should be postponed for another two years. Gem and Jewellery Council national director and state treasurer of the Gold and Silver Merchants’ Association S. Abdul Nassar said in a statement here that hallmarking had been made compulsory in 251 districts of the country. Members of All Kerala Gold and Silver Merchants’ Association staged a dharna before the office of the Bureau of Indian Standards in Kochi on Monday to highlight their demand. Mr. Nassar inaugurated the protest and Johny Muthedan, state secretary, presided at the meeting. The statement issued by the association said that protests were held in front of 200 Central government offices on Monday to raise the demand for postponing the implementation of the new hallmarking system. The order to make hallmarking unique identification compulsory has been implemented from July 1 this year and has landed the gold jewellery business into serious trouble, said Mr. Nassar.