No gold hallmarking centres in North-East & 5 UTs

New Delhi: There is not a single gold assaying and hallmarking centre in six northeastern states and five Union Territories while the government aims to make hallmarking mandatory for gold and jewellery from 2021, according to official data.

Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep — do not have gold assaying and hallmark centres at present, the data showed.

Gold hallmarking is a purity certification of the precious metal and is voluntary at present. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has formulated standards for hallmarking gold jewellery in three grades -- 14 carats, 18 carats and 22 carats.

The government recently announced that it would make hallmarking for gold jewellery and artefacts mandatory across the country from January 15, 2021, to ensure the purity of the precious metal.