Amritsar jewellers stay shut to protest hallmarking norm

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 23

Opposed to the new Hallmarking Unique ID (HUID) rule on gold ornaments, city-based jewellers downed the shutters of their outlets and showrooms and held a sit-in here on Monday.

The market of gold and silver ornaments in the Guru Bazar area in the walled city remained closed and the shopkeepers under the patronage of different associations held a protest there.

Ashwani Kale Shah, a leader of the jewellers, termed the new Hallmarking Unique ID norm as black law. He said they were selling pure material, but the new norm would reduce them to munims (accountants) of the government.

Hallmark centres have been opened in around 250 cities out of 856 in the entire country. It meant that the jewellers would have to wait for weeks to get the hallmark number embossed on each piece of jewellery. At the same time, the jewellers would also have to hire more employees to manage the record of numbers.

What is UID on ornaments?

The purpose of UID is to empower the customers to reach the seller (jeweller) in case substandard gold has been sold to him. UID will be in the form of a number on the ornaments that will be hallmarked. In case a customer has a complaint, the punched UID number will enable the BIS authorities to identify the agency concerned, which certified the purity, besides jewellers. Hallmark centres have been opened in around 250 cities in the entire country. It meant that the jewellers would have to wait for weeks to get the hallmark number embossed on each piece.