The Government of India proposed the reform of the Indian Bureau of Standardization and the provisions of the Standards Act, adopted in 1986. These changes will affect the process of stamping jewelry with precious metals, including gold, but the government does not intend to oblige all producers to stigmatize their products for their products.
The statement was made by the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Ram Vilas Paswan, at a meeting with representatives of the Bureau of Standardization of India and other industry players. The decision on the mandatory procedure for stamping all jewelry in the country will be made only after a detailed consideration of the wishes of consumers, the minister added.
"The Bureau of Standardization of India will be reorganized into the National Standardization Body, and the amendments to the Standards Act are part of these changes. The number of products that must comply with national standards has grown from 102 to 2300, but for the jewelry industry the changes will not be so rapid. In order to win the trust of the government and make the phrase "Made in India" a true sign of quality, all the products of production in the country must meet certain standards adopted throughout the world. In this field we have three main tasks: to achieve uncompromisingly high quality standards, to simplify bureaucratic procedures and to facilitate understanding of new standards by ordinary consumers, "Pasvan said.
The proposed amendments to the Standards Act will soon be considered by the Cabinet, and then sent to the Parliament of India.