Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan, announced in a virtual press conference on 27th July that the deadline for mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery has been pushed forward to 1st June, 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. Gold hallmarking was set to become mandatory with effect from 15th January, 2021.

The Government had given jewellers more than a year to shift to hallmarking and register themselves with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Paswan stated that the extension was granted as the pandemic had disrupted the retail jewellery business. Jewellers had requested the Government to extend the deadline. He added that from 1st June, 2021,  jewellers would be allowed to sell only 14-, 18- and 22-karat gold jewellery.