Diamonds are thought to have been discovered and mined for the first time in India, in locations where significant alluvial stone concentrations were once discovered along the rivers Penner, Godavari, and Krishna.
However, the diamond industry began in Surat when a local businessman founded the city’s diamond polishing industry in 1901 by bringing a boat full of diamond cutters from East Africa. Back in the 1960s, some businesspeople from the Patel community of Saurashtra began importing rough diamonds and exporting polished diamonds, which gave rise to the diamond cutting and polishing industry. Up until the 1980s, this industry expanded modestly. After that, expansion accelerated.
According to reports, Surat cut 92% of the diamonds in the world in 2005, generating $15 billion in export revenue for India. India imports raw diamonds worth $11 billion annually for polishing, 80% of which come from diamond mining businesses and the remaining 20% from Antwerp.
India is the world’s top exporter of cut and polished diamonds, making up 54% of the industry’s overall exports of gems and jewellery. The city of Surat generates more than 80% of India’s $70,000 billion in annual exports. 75% of the credit for the diamonds’ brilliance belongs to the Surat Diamond industry, and every nine out of ten diamonds you see in stores in major cities across the world are cut and polished in India. The diamond and jewellery sector in Surat employs more than 1.5 million people, making Surat the centre of the country’s diamond polishing industry.
Concerning that, Modi led a 2.5-kilometer roadshow from the Ghodadara to the Limbayat neighborhood of the city after arriving at the Surat airport in the morning. According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, once the Diamond Research and Mercantile (DREAM) City project is finished, Surat would become the world’s safest and most practical diamond trade center.
After breaking ground and launching several projects, Modi addressed a crowd and declared that Surat had advanced significantly over the past 20 years.
When asked about the battle to build an airport in Surat, Modi recalled how they (he and the Gujarati administration he led as chief minister) grew weary of trying to convince the UPA government of the necessity of such a facility.
“Today, a lot of people fly in and out of this airport, which has aided in the growth of the city. This is a benefit of the administration with two engines, he remarked.
Once the DREAM city project is finished, “Surat will emerge as the safest and most practical diamond trading hub in the world,” Modi stated. Additionally, he stated that the Ayushman Bharat Scheme has provided free medical care to more than four crore individuals nationwide, of which 32 lakh are from Gujarat, including 1.25 lakh from Surat.
The Gujarat Assembly elections are scheduled for later this year, and the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is doing everything in its power to stay in power.
According to a state government announcement, PM Modi will travel from Surat to Bhavnagar to officially kick off several projects, including the world’s first CNG terminal and a brownfield port. The statement stated that the PM will also lead a two-kilometer road display in the city before speaking to a crowd in the Jawahar Chowk neighborhood of Bhavnagar.
The Prime Minister will visit Bhavnagar later in the day to unveil several development projects totaling more than 5,200 crore rupees, including the laying of the cornerstone for the first CNG terminal in the world. The world’s first CNG terminal and a brownfield port will both have their foundations officially laid by the prime minister in the city. The port would be built at a cost of more than Rs 4,000 crore and will have cutting-edge CNG terminal equipment. Modern container terminals, multifunctional terminals, and liquid terminals with direct door-to-door connectivity to the existing road and rail network will all be present at the port.
A 20-acre, about Rs 100 crore regional science center in Bhavnagar will also be opened by the prime minister. The center features several galleries with specific themes, such as the Nobel Prize gallery, automotive gallery, and marine aquatic gallery. Children will have access to the center’s creative space. Read more PM Modi is in Uzbekistan for SCO Summit 2022: security, commerce, and energy on agenda
