New Delhi: India cannot afford to compromise on the quality of products and services if it aims to become a developed nation by 2047, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Director General Sanjay Garg said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the 79th Foundation Day of BIS, he stressed that quality standards are central to national growth, consumer confidence, and global competitiveness. He added that silver jewellery hallmarking would only be made mandatory once the required infrastructure is fully established.

“Since its inception, the BIS has worked with a singular purpose to ensure that every citizen gets access to safe, reliable and quality products,” he said, adding that BIS remains committed to supporting industries in meeting these benchmarks.

Calling quality the defining factor between developing and developed nations, Garg noted the stark difference visible in infrastructure, governance, healthcare, civic amenities and hospitality services across developed countries.

“If India has to become a Viksit Bharat by 2047, India cannot ignore quality and therefore cannot ignore standards,” he said.

Mandatory hallmarking is expanding rapidly

Garg highlighted significant progress in jewellery hallmarking. Currently, mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery is implemented in 373 districts, with more than 58 crore gold jewellery pieces already hallmarked. “We are hallmarking over one crore pieces every month,” he said.

Silver hallmarking has begun on a voluntary basis and is recording steady growth. He said BIS is evaluating industry demand to make silver hallmarking mandatory, but will implement the move only after full infrastructure readiness.

Since 1 September, the Hallmarking Unique Identification (HUID) system for silver has been introduced voluntarily to ensure transparency and consumer trust. Over 23 lakh silver articles have already been hallmarked under the system.

Garg said these initiatives will strengthen consumer protection, enhance purity assurance, and support India’s transition to a high-quality, standards-driven economy.

PTI