The Bureau of Indian Standards has failed to receive any application for setting up of the assaying centre of the silver hallmarking in the northern region ever since it was introduced in year 2005.
Talking to Business Standard, the Deputy Director General of Bureau of Indian Standard Northern Region (comprising of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Perdesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and parts of Uttar Perdesh) K K Narang told that the region has 5 assaying centres for gold and 545 licences for gold hallmarking but no query came for setting up silver assaying centre since it was introduced in year 2005 although they issued 104 licences for silver hallmarking in the region.
“The consumers are more conscious while buying gold due to its value so there is more demand for gold hallmarking than for silver. We leave no stone unturned in updating the consumers of the benefits of the hallmarking of both precious metals gold as well as silver”, she said.
The northern region has five gold assaying centres one each located at Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Panipat and two at Kanpur.
She apprised that one more gold assaying centre would shortly come up at Jallandhar thus Punjab will have two gold assaying centres.
She apprised that the mandatory certification for the tyres and tubes would take quite a few manufacturers in Ludhiana under its fold.
The deadline for BIS certification for automobile tyre manufacturers is 19 May. Till now two manufacturers in Ludhiana (Metro and Podar Tyres) have taken certificate from the BIS.
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The BIS has over 4200 product licencees in the region and Haryana stands to have the maximum number of licences (close to 1600) among all the states.
The product licences are to be renewed every year where as gold and silver licences are valid for three years.