Owners of gold and jewellery shops across the State downed their shutters on Monday demanding that the Central government roll back the new gold hallmarking rules.
The one-day bandh was observed in response to the call given by All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC) and supported by jewellery associations. The members of various associations, including AP Bullion Gold Silver and Diamond Merchants’ Association, observed the bandh. Nearly 50,000 jewellery shops across the State remained closed.
The jewellery associations are up in arms against the Union government’s Hallmarking Unique ID (HUID) system. Even while asserting that they were not against the hallmarking system, the associations contended that the new system was against the principle of ‘ease of doing business.’
Bezawada Jewellers and Diamond Merchants’ Association president K.J.N. Prasad, Bezawada Bullion Merchants’ Association president Borra Venkata Krishna Rao, Vijayawada Bullion Merchants’ Association president Javvadi Suryanarayana (Rudraiah) and others said they were not against hallmarking. But, they were worried about the newly introduced system, which would consume a lot of time and the process was also not simple. The new HUID system was impractical and unimplementable, they asserted.
The hallmarking system was already running smoothly for the past 16 years and accepted by trade and consumers. The whole system had been changed under the mandatory regime without due deliberation and now all stakeholders were suffering, they alleged.
The HUID system, which was made mandatory by the Bureau of Indian Standards’ (BIS) since June 16 along with the BIS hallmarking, was adversely affecting the jewellery business. The poor availability of hallmarking centres in the interiors of the State made it impossible for the implementation of the mandatory hallmarking regime, they said, adding, this would disrupt the whole industry and the value chain, putting at stake the livelihoods of millions of people.
