Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said the gem and jewellery industry must consider hallmarking of precious stones jewellery studded with emerald, rubies and sapphires. Speaking on the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day, he said that the government was able to successfully implement hallmarking of gold jewellery even though it was notified more than two decades ago.
Mr. Goyal said that 50 hallmarking centres should come up across India for precious stone jewellery. He was speaking at the commencement ceremony of Bharat Ratnam mega Common Facility Centre (CFC) for the gem and jewellery industry situated in SEEPZ SEZ, Mumbai.
Talking about hallmarking of precious stone jewellery, Mr. Goyal said that the certification body BIS would fund such hallmarking centres so that they could have the latest world-class testing equipment and machines. Earlier, on January 12, the Mega CFC was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Mumbai.
Set up in public private participation mode with the intention to benefit MSMEs and small and medium goldsmiths, Bharat Ratnam, India’s first Mega CFC, will provide support for designing and manufacturing of gem and jewellery products.
It will enhance the existing quality, productivity, skill of manpower, domestic R&D, technological advancement and cost competitiveness. It will also include a training centre for imparting skill development courses to 146 youth to begin with and developing skilled manpower for the industry.
The Mega CFC, on a 1.15 lakh square feet built-up area, encompasses basement, ground, and six floors, providing ample space for various operations and activities. Specifically, the first three floors house advanced technologies, while the fourth floor is dedicated to training workers.
Additionally, the fifth floor serves as a hub for buyer-seller meets, fostering global connections, and the sixth floor operates as a convention centre for symposiums throughout the year, providing entrepreneurs access to valuable knowledge and networking opportunities.
