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Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Surat's premier diamond expo ‘CARATS' downsized amid industry slowdown
Surat: In a sign of the ongoing downturn in the diamond industry, the country's flagship B2B diamond exhibition, CARATS, has been scaled down this year — both in terms of participation and venue. Held annually in Surat, the global hub where nine out of ten of the world's diamonds are polished, CARATS 2025 will take place at a club venue instead of the spacious SIECC dome, where last year's edition hosted 116 exhibitors. This year, only 73 participants have registered, and the number of machinery manufacturers has sharply dropped from 45 in 2024 to just 10 in the upcoming edition. The three-day event, organised by the Surat Diamond Association (SDA), is set to begin on July 11. Organisers cited logistical preferences, rather than falling interest, as the reason for the downsizing. "We received inquiries from machinery manufacturers, but diamond manufacturers preferred a venue with hotel facilities," said Jagdish Khunt, president of SDA. "Past exhibitions held at the club were successful, and the decision aligns with the preferences of our core participants." Out of the 73 exhibitors this year, 63 diamond manufacturing units will showcase both natural and lab-grown diamonds. This marks the sixth edition of CARATS, a significant event that draws over 6,000 trade visitors annually. Despite these claims, industry sources point to deeper concerns. With no major expansion plans underway and many units running only five days a week in single shifts, the slowdown is evident. In earlier boom periods, factories ran day and night with no weekly offs. Surat, home to over 5,000 diamond manufacturing units and employing an estimated seven lakh artisans, has been grappling with reduced global demand. The export value of cut and polished diamonds dropped from over $24 billion in 2021-22 to $13 billion in 2024-25, reflecting the challenging global trade environment. The shift in exhibition dynamics also reflects changes in Surat's diamond expo landscape. Initially, only Sparkle, organised by the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI), catered to the jewellery and diamond sector. Later, independent exhibitions such as ROOTZ by the Surat Jewellery Manufacturers Association (SJMA) and CARATS by SDA emerged as focused industry platforms.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Govt relief package: 110 Surat schools submit 3,200 forms for fee assistance
At least 110 schools in Surat submitted over 3,200 application forms for fee assistance — as a part of the state government relief package for diamond polishers' children — benefiting 10,921 students to the Surat District Industries Centre on Monday, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The forms will be verified by the Surat Diamond Association before being forwarded to the approval committee headed by District Collector Dr Sourabh Pardhi. Earlier in May, the state government announced a special assistance package for the diamond industry. Under the relief package, the state government will cover the school fees of children of diamond polishers, providing an annual sum of Rs 13,500 for one year. The criteria to avail the scheme benefits include the diamond polisher being unemployed for the last year and having worked in the industry for at least three years. The government will directly pay the fees to the schools. The diamond industry has been experiencing a prolonged period of recession for over two-and-a-half years now. The diamond polishers, along with middle and small diamond unit owners, have been facing great financial difficulty due to the reduced demand for polished diamonds in the international market. There are over 4,000 small, medium, and large diamond factories in Surat city, employing a workforce of over 5 lakh diamond workers. Out of the 10 polished diamonds found in the world, eight are cut and polished in Surat city. The majority of the workforce in the diamond industry hails from Saurashtra and other parts of Gujarat and are settled in Surat city. Following the announcement of a special relief package by the state government, schools were instructed to make students and their parents aware of the scheme. The school authorities had also distributed forms among the students, seeking all necessary details. The form submission is being done in three phases, with the first phase ending on Monday, while the second and third phases are scheduled for July 7 and 23, according to sources in the Surat district administration. On Monday, 110 schools submitted 3,200 forms to the district industries commissioner. Majority of such schools are located in Katargam, Kapodara, Sarthana, and Varachha areas in Surat city. Surat District Industries Commissioner Jigar Dave told The Indian Express, 'We have received 3,200 application forms from 110 schools, and the number of beneficiaries is over 10,921 students'. 'We will be sending these forms to the Surat Diamond Association for verification, including confirmation of whether the applicant is actually a diamond polisher and if they have been jobless for the last year. There are two more phases left for accepting such forms. Once these forms are verified, it will be sent to the scrutiny committee, and later it will reach the approval committee headed by Surat District Collector Dr Sourabh Pardhi'. Surat Diamond Association President Jagdish Khunt told The Indian Express, 'We are expecting more such forms in the coming days. A core committee meeting regarding the disbursement of the special assistance package will be held on Thursday'. 'We already have a staff crunch. How are we supposed to handle 3,200 forms? We will share our concerns with the committee head, the Surat District Collector. We are also preparing for our upcoming loose diamond auction event which will be held in Surat city from July 11 to 13. How will we take care of so much work?' Khunt asked.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Diamond artisans' school fee aid not yet disbursed
Surat: A month after the state govt announced a scheme to support unemployed diamond artisans by reimbursing their children's school fees, this assistance is yet to be paid. Diamond industry leaders said it will take about a month to start disbursing these funds, adding that the few weeks went into setting up the form submission and verification process. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now An artisan now must submit the form at their child's school, from where they will be forwarded to the Surat Diamond Association (SDA) for verification. After this, the fees will be paid directly to the school. "Schools will collect forms and submit them to the District Industries Centre (DIC). They will then be sent to the SDA and we will verify the details submitted," said Jagdish Khunt, president of the SDA. "Forms will be collected till July 23. SDA is yet to get the forms to begin the verification process." "Initially, there was confusion about the process. Many jobless workers had come to inquire. Now, form submission at schools has begun," said Balu Vekariya, president of the Ratna Kalakar Vikas Sangh. On May 24, the state govt had announced assistance in the form of full payment of the school fees of children of jobless diamond artisans, up to a maximum of Rs 13,500 per child per year. This is to be paid to schools directly, through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. "The forms submission process is still on. It will take time for them to be collected and verified. Once all the forms are received, the total number of applicants can be known," said Dinesh Navadiya, chairman of the Indian Diamond Institute. The diamond industry employs about 12 lakh workers in the city and other parts of the state. It has been facing a crisis for three years as demand and prices of natural diamonds have dropped. War and conflicts between countries, slowdowns in major economies such as the US and China, and the availability of affordable lab-grown diamonds, are said to be behind the drop in demand. Diamond artisans who lost jobs after March 2024 are eligible under the scheme. An artisan must also be older than 21 years, have worked for at least three years in a diamond unit, and be unemployed.
Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Surat DEO issues notices to schools for fee relief to children of diamond polishers
The Surat District Education Office (DEO) on Thursday issued notifications to all schools where children of diamond polishers study and shared a School Fees Special Assistance Application form along with a checklist of relevant documents for students and parents who are eligible for a fee relief. The state government has announced a special assistance package for people from the diamond industry, considering the recession over the last three years. Children of diamond polishers, who have been unemployed after March 2024 and are aged above 21 and have worked for at least three years at a diamond firm, will be eligible for this scheme. Surat district Education Officer Bhagirathsinh Parmar issued the notification after receiving the format from the state government. According to the format, the benefits of the scheme can be availed only for the 2025-26 session, the maximum amount of relief being Rs 13,500 per student. Diamond polisher parents should fill the School Fees Special Assistance Application form and submit it, along with necessary documents, including Aadhaar cards of both the applicant and the student, a passport-size photo of the parent, to the school between June 9 and July 23. The applicant should obtain a certificate of unemployment for a period of one year and a certificate of work experience for the previous three years from the District Employment Office, the District Industries Centre, or a request letter or certificate issued by the Surat Diamond Association. The school authorities would then submit the documents to the District Industries Centre in three phases — on June 30, July 7, and July 24. The school authorities should also attach a forwarding letter, along with a list of students, a cancelled cheque from the school, and fees in accordance with the Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC). DEO Parmar said, 'We have issued the notification to all primary, secondary and higher secondary grant-in-aid, self-finance and government schools in the city. Diamond polishers mainly reside in Varachha, Kapodara, Punagam, Katargam, Sarthana, etc. Non-Gujarati polishers who match all the eligibility criteria can also fill such forms. We have strictly instructed all schools to complete the process with the given time frame. We are coordinating with the Surat Diamond Association, the Surat District Employment Office, and the District Industries Centre, and will make sure that diamond polishers should not face any problem in obtaining the necessary documents. If they do, they should contact us or any of these three offices, and their issue will be resolved.'
Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Govt officials meet to discuss package for diamond industry, DWUG members not invited
Surat District collector Dr Sourabh Pardhi Wednesday evening held a meeting with different stakeholders of the diamond industry to discuss implementation of the state government's financial assistance package for the industry. Members of the Diamond Workers Union Gujarat (DWUG), who have been raising the issue of unemployment faced by diamond polishers, were not invited to the meeting. Minister of State for Industries, Harsh Sanghavi, in a media briefing on May 24 in Surat, had announced the special assistance package. Those present at Wednesday's meeting were representatives of Surat Diamond Association, District Employment Office, District industry officers, Labour department officials, and officials of leading banks. A decision regarding the formation of a 'scrutiny committee', which will accept applications from the diamond polishers and diamond unit owners and verify them, was taken to help people avail the benefit of the government scheme. As per the package, the state government will bear the school fees of up to Rs 13,500 for a year of children of diamond polishers, aged 21 and above, who have been jobless for the last one year but have worked for at least three years before that. Apart from this, the 9 per cent interest rate on term loan of maximum up to Rs 5 lakh availed by diamond unit owners will be waived for three years starting July. Diamond units with machinery investments worth Rs 2.5 crore that has witnessed power consumption going down in the last one year will get subsidy on electricity duty on power bills. Talking to The Indian Express, Surat Diamond Association President Jagdish Khunt said: 'The diamond industry is widely established in Surat. There are around 3,500 diamond factories here and around 7 lakh artisans work in these factories. The figures are not accurate though, as no survey has been conducted till date. It would be difficult to identify polishers who have been unemployed since last year. The implementation of the state government's scheme in the diamond industry is quite difficult,' he said. He further said, 'Of 3,500 diamond factories, over 80 per cent run with staff strength of 10 to 40 (2 emery wheels-10 emery wheels). These factories do not have any official company name and are not registered. Similarly, there are diamond polishers who switch jobs and move to different factories every quarter or so , keeping in mind higher wages. The firm owners also do not have details of polishers.' 'At the meeting, it was decided that application forms will contain all necessary details of diamond polishers and diamond unit owners. The work on preparing these forms has been started. Another meeting will be held next week to discuss further actions,' he said. The Indian Express also spoke to DWUG Vice-President Bhavesh Tank. 'We have been protesting over the issue of joblessness since the last three years. We have submitted memorandums multiple times to the Surat District Collector and written to the Chief Minister. The state government has now come up with a financial package for the diamond industry. We were not invited to the meeting,' he said . He also said: 'A couple of days ago, we wrote to the Chief Minister, requesting him to waive off school fees of children of diamond polishers who are unemployed or semi-unemployed (whose salary has gone down by 50 per cent). We have been fighting for the rights of diamond polishers since long. We have all the details of polishers. If we are invited to such meetings, we can provide these details to the committee.' District Collector Pardhi did not respond to calls till press time.
