Bhubaneswar: Odisha Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra informed the State Assembly that the government has taken stringent measures to curb irregularities in the jewellery trade.
In 2023, a total of 8469 inspections were conducted across 30 districts, resulting in 495 cases of irregularities being detected, with a fine of Rs 15,30,500 being collected from jewellery traders.
In the current year, up to August, 3125 inspections have been carried out, with 116 cases detected and a fine of Rs 313800 collected.
In Cuttack district alone, 867 jewellery shops were inspected during the fiscal year 2023-24 and 2024-25 (up to August), with irregularities found in 65 shops. A fine of Rs 4,91,67,400 was collected from these shops.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has not received any complaints regarding the sale of substandard jewellery in Cuttack district. To ensure compliance with gold standards, BIS regularly collects samples of hallmarked gold jewellery from the market for testing.
Legal metrology officers are prosecuting shopkeepers who have committed irregularities under various provisions of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, and the Orissa Legal Metrology (Enforcement) Rules, 2011.