Diamond Workers In Surat Face 'Unprecedented' Joblessness: Gujarat Congress

The Congress in Gujarat on Thursday said diamond workers in Surat are facing an 'unprecedented crisis' of joblessness and recession due to the Russia-Ukraine war, and urged the Centre to take up corrective measures.

State Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil said many diamond workers have lost their jobs and some of them even ended their lives due to the crisis in the diamond industry.

"Surat's diamond industry is facing an unprecedented crisis as G7 countries banned Russian diamonds, which are imported in India for cutting and polishing and exported in the western markets as well as China, UAE and Hong Kong," he said, adding that most of the rough diamonds are mined in Russia.

Many diamond workers have lost their jobs with some of them also ending their lives. Despite the enormity of the crisis, the government at the Centre and the state have not done anything to help the diamond workers who are struggling to survive, he said.

"Why hasn't the central government taken up the issue with the G7 countries, including the USA, the UK and the European countries regarding their stringent sanctions on rough diamonds that are sourced in Russian mines?" he asked.

"India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is also a member of the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat, has neither held a single meeting with the stakeholders, nor has be taken up the issues of the diamond sector with G7 countries, USA and European Countries," he claimed.

The diamond sector is one of the top employment providers in Gujarat as around 25 lakh families are directly or indirectly dependent on this industry. Diamond polishing factories are located in Surat, Navsari, Bhavnagar, Amreli, Botad, Rajkot, Junagadh and Ahmedabad, Gohil said.

"The crisis that the sector faces can be gauged from the official figures of India's diamond exports that have plummeted. As per the official figures, exports have dropped from $23 billion in 2022 to $16 billion in 2023 and is expected to decline to $12 billion in 2024. Also, the prices of polished diamonds fell between 5% to 23% in 2023," the Congress leader added.

Gohil sought to know if the central government has taken up the issue to any international forum highlighting the plight of diamond workers and their families.

Has the Gujarat government raised this issue before the Union Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce and Industries regarding the sanctions by the developed world have adversely impacted local industries in Surat and Gujarat, he asked.

"I urge the government to immediately take up the issue with western countries and help the diamond industry and workers of Gujarat," he said.