Q. Consider the following statements regarding hallmarking of gold and other precious metals in India:

1. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has prohibited the sale of hallmarked gold jewelry without a 6-digit alphanumeric Hallmark Unique Identification Number (HUID) after 31st March 2023.
2. The Hallmarking scheme for jewelry was started by BIS in 2020.
3. In India, at present, only gold has been brought under the purview of hallmarking.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: Only 1
Notes: Statement 1 is correct: BIS has prohibited the sale of hallmarked gold jewelry without the 6-digit HUID from 1st April 2023. Statement 2 is incorrect: Hallmarking scheme for jewelry began in 2000, not 2020. Statement 3 is incorrect: Both gold and silver are under mandatory hallmarking in India.