The scheme, touted as a panacea to burgeoning CAD, was a huge flop that fostered a spike in smuggling and allowed several Gitanjali-like players to make a killing

While the government has not made the report public, sources said the panel had recommended a sharp cut in all taxes on the gold business, including import duty and goods and services tax which amounts to over 13%.

Two entities under the Union ministry of commerce report differing figures for import of cut and polished diamonds for the first eight months of the financial year.

'We don't trade with any business where we have specific concerns,' a De Beers spokesperson said.

The spotlight is back on the hawala trade in diamonds.

Three-four big gem and jewellery firms are showing financial weaknesses and might find it tough to withstand shocks

Indian exchanges see spurt in volumes due to the entry of newcomers to the trade

While the gold policy covers every aspect, from sourcing gold to trading and investing in it, experts assert that the policy is incomplete if mining of gold in India isn't promoted.

BSE proposes two models for making gold trading and investment transparent

Last week, the country's leading exchange, Zebpay, launched trading in Litecoin, which is the eighth-largest cryptocurrency, following rising demand from Indian investors.

Silver has a dual role - 60 per cent of the total silver produced is used for industrial purposes in the electrical & electronics segment and photovoltaic demand mostly for solar panels.

India Bullion and Jewellers Association said, self-certification of coins by refineries contravenes the basic purpose of a certifying agency.

Experts advise investors to buy at lower levels in the next few months and sell at the higher end of their range in the second half, reports Rajesh Bhayani.

Import by 4-star and 5-star export houses effectively barred from importing for domestic consumption.

Those selling ornaments with lower purity might now offer hefty discounts in order to get rid of non-hallmarked stocks

Dhanteras is considered auspicious for investment and buying gold.

Now, in many cases, they give no old jewellery but the bills they get show gold as provided by them, the jeweller's making charge and the GST on that.

Travel time, too, has not fallen much after the abolition of octroi with trucks still queued up at regional transport offices and toll tax plazas.

The cryptocurrency will fall in the RBI's domain.

The options include involving jewellers as collection centres, addressing of issues that banks have been facing and using domestically available gold for giving metal loans to jewellers for domestic sales.