Business

World Standards Day 2026: BIS launches Silver Refinery Scheme to hallmark silver bars and coins

By /

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) marked World Standards Day 2026 in New Delhi on 14 October by launching a Silver Refinery Scheme, along with new Indian Standards and a roadmap for sustainable farming and manufacturing. Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi launched the scheme at the national event.

World Standards Day 2026: BIS Bhopal's Manak Mahotsav on World Standards Day
BIS Bhopal's Manak Mahotsav on World Standards Day Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit).

Silver Refinery Scheme: hallmarks for bars and coins

The scheme extends purity checks and hallmarking to silver bullion and coins and is modelled on the existing Gold Refinery Scheme, PSU Watch reported. BIS will license refineries and mints after checking their technical ability, processes and testing systems. There are three purity grades, 999.9, 999.5 and 999.0 parts per thousand. Each piece will carry the BIS mark, the word SILVER, its purity, a manufacturer ID and a unique serial number for tracing.

Key Facts

  • Event: national World Standards Day, New Delhi, 14 October
  • Theme: SDG 7, Clean and Affordable Energy
  • Purity grades: 999.9 / 999.5 / 999.0
  • Model: BIS Gold Refinery Scheme
  • Hallmark: BIS mark, SILVER, purity, maker ID, serial number

“Our journey towards Viksit Bharat is driven by a single mantra: Quality, Quality, and only Quality.”

— Pralhad Joshi, Consumer Affairs Minister (PIB)

World Standards Day 2026 theme and guests

This year’s theme was ‘Shared Vision for a Better World: SDG 7 (Clean and Affordable Energy)’. Ministers of State B L Verma and Nimuben Bambhaniya and Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare attended. Millennium Post reported that standards for clean energy and consumer safety were a main focus. BIS offices across the country also held Manak Mahotsav events; in Bhopal, officials, industry and students took a quality pledge.

Participants at the BIS Bhopal event
Participants at the BIS Bhopal event Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit).

Why silver hallmarking matters for buyers

Silver has long lacked the purity marking buyers see on gold, so bars and coins are often sold on the seller’s word. A refinery-level licence means checks start where the metal is made, not only at the shop. The ministry has not yet said when licensed silver bars will reach the market or whether marking will become compulsory.

Why It Matters: Silver is a popular festive buy and investment, and a traceable hallmark from the refinery protects households from paying for purity they do not get.

Also on TrendDesh: Flipkart Minutes Jaipur dark store found dirty in Diwali food safety raid; ghee, ketchup sampled · Bloomberg New Economy Forum: PM Modi pitches 'Power to Empower' at the forum's first India edition

Source: PIB · PIB (Bhopal Manak Mahotsav) · PSU Watch · Millennium Post

Share

Today’s News 15 Oct 2026 · 21 stories

  1. Combined Task Force 154: Indian Navy ends its first CMF command in Bahrain after 7,800 training hours1Combined Task Force 154: Indian Navy ends its first CMF command in Bahrain after 7,800 training hoursOct 15, 2026
  2. Greater Than Us: Rajnath Singh launches IIT Kanpur’s billion campaign with Rs 4,155 crore committed2Greater Than Us: Rajnath Singh launches IIT Kanpur’s $1 billion campaign with Rs 4,155 crore committedOct 15, 2026
  3. Inherited cancer risk found in nearly 30% of tested patients at Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, New Chandigarh3Inherited cancer risk found in nearly 30% of tested patients at Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, New ChandigarhOct 15, 2026
  4. World Standards Day 2026: BIS launches Silver Refinery Scheme to hallmark silver bars and coins4World Standards Day 2026: BIS launches Silver Refinery Scheme to hallmark silver bars and coinsOct 15, 2026 · Reading now
  5. Asian Para Games 2026: SAI Gandhinagar sends off para powerlifters Jhandu Kumar, Seema Rani and team5Asian Para Games 2026: SAI Gandhinagar sends off para powerlifters Jhandu Kumar, Seema Rani and teamOct 15, 2026
  6. India Brunei trade talks: third Joint Trade Committee targets farm exports, pharma and energy6India Brunei trade talks: third Joint Trade Committee targets farm exports, pharma and energyOct 15, 2026
  7. Bhilai Steel Plant replaces 129-tonne converter hood at SMS-3 without an overhead crane7Bhilai Steel Plant replaces 129-tonne converter hood at SMS-3 without an overhead craneOct 15, 2026
  8. Rajasthan cabinet passes resolution hailing PM Modi’s 25 years as head of government8Rajasthan cabinet passes resolution hailing PM Modi’s 25 years as head of governmentOct 15, 2026
  9. Amrita Haat Jaipur: Diya Kumari tours 170-stall women’s fair, pushes SHGs to sell online9Amrita Haat Jaipur: Diya Kumari tours 170-stall women’s fair, pushes SHGs to sell onlineOct 15, 2026
  10. Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: Rajasthan orders check posts, GPS curbs to stop illegal gravel mining10Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: Rajasthan orders check posts, GPS curbs to stop illegal gravel miningOct 15, 2026
  11. Rajasthan DGP orders body cameras at checkpoints and Zero FIR in cyber crime cases11Rajasthan DGP orders body cameras at checkpoints and Zero FIR in cyber crime casesOct 15, 2026
  12. Haiti sanctions renewed for a year as UN Security Council targets the flow of guns to gangs12Haiti sanctions renewed for a year as UN Security Council targets the flow of guns to gangsOct 15, 2026
  13. DR Congo cholera cases top 125,000 as the country also battles an Ebola outbreak, WHO warns13DR Congo cholera cases top 125,000 as the country also battles an Ebola outbreak, WHO warnsOct 15, 2026
  14. Yemen fighting cuts off food aid to 800,000 people as WFP warns of catastrophe in Taiz14Yemen fighting cuts off food aid to 800,000 people as WFP warns of catastrophe in TaizOct 15, 2026
  15. WHO Eastern Mediterranean meeting: Tedros says 117 million people in the region need aid15WHO Eastern Mediterranean meeting: Tedros says 117 million people in the region need aidOct 15, 2026
  16. Gaza winter: UN steps up preparations as attacks continue and aid stays restricted16Gaza winter: UN steps up preparations as attacks continue and aid stays restrictedOct 15, 2026
  17. Anil Menon spacewalk: NASA to preview the last two ISS solar array installs on 20 October17Anil Menon spacewalk: NASA to preview the last two ISS solar array installs on 20 OctoberOct 15, 2026
  18. Artemis III update: NASA to brief on its Moon timeline and next year’s test flight on 23 October18Artemis III update: NASA to brief on its Moon timeline and next year’s test flight on 23 OctoberOct 15, 2026
  19. NASA Moon battery: solid-state SPEARS cells built to survive the lunar South Pole cold19NASA Moon battery: solid-state SPEARS cells built to survive the lunar South Pole coldOct 15, 2026
  20. Treble Clef in space: NASA’s Chandra finds a black hole outburst and cluster crash behind the shape20Treble Clef in space: NASA’s Chandra finds a black hole outburst and cluster crash behind the shapeOct 15, 2026
  21. Hurricane Simon weakens to 75 mph off Mexico as Baja California Sur told to stay alert21Hurricane Simon weakens to 75 mph off Mexico as Baja California Sur told to stay alertOct 15, 2026

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top