Joshi launches certification scheme for silver refineries, mints

New Delhi: Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday launched a certification scheme for silver refineries and mints as part of the government's efforts to ensure purity and hallmarking of silver bullion and coins in the country.

The scheme was launched at an event here to mark the occasion of World Standards Day 2026.

According to an official statement, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) unveiled the BIS Silver Refinery Scheme and new Indian Standards on emerging technologies and clean energy mobility.

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It also released a standardisation roadmap for sustainable agriculture and manufacturing.

"The BIS certification scheme for silver refineries and mints extends structured purity assurance and hallmarking to silver bullion and coins across India and establishes a national framework for silver purity modelled after the existing Gold Refinery Scheme," the statement said.

Following a gazette notification, the Department of Consumer Affairs said fine silver bullion and coins of three purity grades: 999.9, 999.5, and 999.0 parts per thousand (ppt), have been included in the scope of the standard, with provision for hallmarking by BIS-licensed refineries and mints.

Under the scheme, BIS will grant a license to qualified silver refineries and mints after assessing their technical competence, refining processes, and testing infrastructure. The licensed facilities will be authorised to apply the official BIS hallmark to silver bullion and coins as per the prescribed requirements.

"For assured authenticity and traceability across the precious metals supply chain, hallmarked silver bullion and coins will bear a standardised BIS mark comprising the BIS Standard Mark accompanied by the word SILVER, purity grade (999.9, 999.5, or 999.0), the manufacturer’s identification mark and a unique serial number for batch traceability," the department said.

Emphasising India’s commitment to quality, Joshi said, "Under the vision of PM Narendra Modi ji, our journey towards Viksit Bharat is driven by a single mantra: Quality, Quality, and only Quality".

Joshi highlighted the role of Indian Standards developed by BIS in shaping India's energy transformation.

Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, underscored the role of standardisation in establishing uniformity, consistency, and process institutionalisation across public procurement and regulation.

She stressed that "effective consumer protection must be preventive, driven by robust testing, digital enforcement, and conformity assessments".

BIS Director General Sanjay Garg said, "Standards are vital enablers of innovation, technology development, and industrial strength".

At the event, BIS Digital Standard Reader was launched. It is a web-based platform that converts XML-formatted Indian Standards into interactive SMART standards.

"Designed to enhance accessibility, the tool enables users to search technical content, navigate hyperlinked cross-references, access an in-built dictionary, and translate text into Indian languages," the department said, adding that the tool would make Indian Standards much more user-friendly and easy to adapt.

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The BIS announced the rollout of 7 new Indian Standards across diverse sectors, including textiles, clean mobility, therapeutic healthcare, robotics, and building materials.

These are Cables for Electric Vehicle Charging Systems (IS 19967:2026); Pedal Assisted Bicycles / EPACs (IS 19891:2026); Wearable Service Robots – Lower Limb (IS 17192 Part-6:2026); Paediatric Panchakarma Droni (IS 19960:2026); Therapeutic Footwear Specification (IS 19956:2026); Flexible Plywood Specification (IS 19952:2026); PVC Coated Fibreglass Insect Screen (IS 19825:2026).

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