Hallmarking made mandatory for gold jewellery in 6 districts including Gujarat

The Department of Consumer Affairs of the Central Government has made significant changes to the rules regarding the purchase and sale of gold. According to a report by TV9 Gujarati, under the fourth amendment to the 'Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts Hallmarking Order, 2020', 6 new districts of the country have been included in the scope of mandatory hallmarking. After this new change, the total number of districts with mandatory hallmarking across India has increased to 398.

This new order was officially notified on 2 November 2026 and subsequently published in the Gazette on 3 November 2026. The order issued by the ministry bears the signature of Additional Secretary Rucha Mishra and has been issued under file number V-6/1/2017-BIS(Part-2). These new rules have been implemented with immediate effect for jewellers and consumers in the 6 districts added to the list.

Under the new rules, Panchmahal district of Gujarat has been added to this list, meaning a total of 26 districts of Gujarat state have now come under the jurisdiction of mandatory hallmarking. Apart from this, West Champaran district of Bihar has been added, bringing a total of 26 districts of Bihar under this rule. In Delhi, South-West Delhi district has been added, while South-East Delhi was already part of this list; now a total of 9 districts in Delhi are included in this system.

Two important districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bulandshahr and Sant Kabir Nagar, have also found a place in this list, increasing the total number of districts in Uttar Pradesh to 41, which is the highest in the country. In the hilly state of Uttarakhand, Rudraprayag district has been newly added, bringing a total of 8 districts of the state under the ambit of mandatory hallmarking.

It is noteworthy that previously, through the third amendment issued on 3 August 2026, 392 districts of the country were brought under this scope, a number which has now increased to 398. This entire network spans 26 states and union territories of the country. Now, selling gold jewellery without hallmarking will be considered illegal in all these 398 districts.

Districts from other states are already included in this comprehensive list, including 32 from Tamil Nadu, 30 from Maharashtra, 26 from Rajasthan, 22 from West Bengal, 21 from Haryana, 20 from Karnataka, 20 from Punjab, 19 from Madhya Pradesh, 18 from Andhra Pradesh, 14 from Kerala, 13 from Telangana, 12 from Assam, 12 from Odisha, 7 from Jharkhand, 5 from Chhattisgarh, 5 from Jammu-Kashmir, 4 from Himachal Pradesh, 3 from Tripura, 2 from Goa, 2 from Puducherry, and 1 district from Chandigarh.

The main objective of this step by the government is to protect the interests of consumers and bring transparency to the purity of gold in the market. Consumers have been advised that whenever they purchase gold jewellery, it is mandatory for it to have the hallmark of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to avoid adulteration or fraud.