The Surat office of The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council organised an awareness seminar in Savarkundala town Dist. Amreli in Gujarat on March 6, 2020 to inform trade members from the villages and towns surrounding the Amreli Common Facility Centre (CFC) about various aspects of the Council’s work and the industry.

This is part of a campaign that is being taken up for the members of various clusters around the different CFCs that are operating in the state. The Savarkundla seminar covered locations such as Liliya, Mahuwa, Vanda etc.

Addressing the gathering, Jilpa Sheth, Regional Director Gujarat outlined the activities and initiatives of GJEPC including services offered by CFC – Amreli. She explained schemes like the Parichay Card, Mediclaim scheme and discussed the changing market scenario and role that exports could play in sustaining business growth. The presentation also covered the importance of technology and the need for collaboration amongst SMEs to enable mutual growth. On behalf of GJEPC she appealed to the trade leaders to form a local trade association that would enable the Council to work closely with them in future for several projects and activities.

Rachna Shah, Asst. Manager, Membership provided detailed information on the benefits of membership of GJEPC and the process of enrolment via a video presentation.

Also making a video presentation was Nirav Jogani, Vice President, RSM Astute Consultech who explained the GST related provisions for manufacturers and job workers and the benefits of registering for GST. He encouraged members to enrol with GST as part of their future growth strategy.

Sohel Savani, Labour Consultant spoke about the provisions of Labour Welfare, Provident Fund and ESIC. He explained in detail the benefits of various labour welfare schemes of the government and how they will help workers and unit holders in case of any unfortunate incidents like accidental death, permanent disability, maternity benefits, critical illness, pension benefits to legal heirs, etc. During the presentation he covered the importance of Workmen’s Compensation Policy for the areas where ESIC benefits are not available due to their remote location.

Jaysukh Gajera, President, Ratna Abhushan Welfare Trust shared his experience of ‘G&J Parichay Card’ issued to the karigars of Surat and encouraged the local trade to support this initiative of the GJEPC in the interest of the diamond trade and workers.

Samir Joshi, Executive Director, Indian Diamond Institute appraised the members about the difference between natural diamonds, synthetic diamonds and moissanite and advised them to be alert to prevent mixing of these three different products. He provided detailed information on the various tools, techniques and the technology available to differentiate them and the importance of keeping the natural and lab-grown diamond pipeline separate and ensuring healthy trade practices.

Sanket Navadiya, Nodal Officer – CFC (Gujarat) gave a vote of thanks.

The seminar was attended by nearly 150 members of the trade from the region.

***