Suresh Prabhu, the union minister of commerce & industry, inaugurated a Common Facility Centre (CFC) of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) in Amreli, Gujarat on March 11th. This is the third such facility of its kind after Visnagar and Palanpur.
The latest CFC (known locally as Ratna Abhushan Suvidha Kendra) will be the nerve centre for technological and social transformation of the workers and small manufacturers engaged in diamond cutting and polishing activities.
The opening ceremony was attended by Naranbhai Kachhadia, MP, Lok Sabha; Pareshbhai Dhanani, leader of opposition, Gujarat Vidhan Sabha; Manoj Dwivedi, joint secretary, ministry of commerce & industry, among other dignitaries.
The first ever CFC for the diamond industry was inaugurated at Visnagar in February 2017, followed by the launch of a CFC at Palanpur in July last year.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prabhu said, “It is heartening to know that today India’s diamond export industry has attained a leadership position worldwide. India exports over 90% of the diamonds polished here, indicating that diamond consumption in the domestic market is minimal. The ministry of commerce & industry is working closely with the GJEPC to devise a plan with an objective to increase exports further, which will ultimately lead to increased employment generation in the country and especially in Gujarat. I am confident that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will support us in our endeavours to retain this industry’s dominant position at a global level,” said Prabhu.
GJEPC chairman Pramod Agarwal noted that the GJEPC is aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Skill India’ and ‘Make in India’. He added that the Amreli CFC will provide training to upgrade the skills of existing artisans, who could attain global recognition for providing the best quality products. The CFC, Agarwal continued, would also ensure that the new generation is exposed to the latest available technology and industry environment.
Agarwal also announced that the next CFC will be established in Ratnagiri. In Gujarat, GJEPC plans to set up CFCs in Navsari, Bhavnagar, Junagadh and Ahmedabad for diamonds and in Rajkot for jewellery. There are further plans to set up CFCs outside Gujarat in cities such as Coimbatore, Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Kolkata.
“It will provide access to common pool of high end & capital-intensive state-ofthe-art machinery/equipment which are otherwise prohibitive for individual small & medium diamond manufacturers. The main aim of establishing a CFC was to provide an infrastructure facility mainly for the unorganised sector in Amreli and nearby villages/remote areas,” added Dinesh Navadiya, Gujarat Regional chairman, GJEPC.
The GJEPC expects the Amreli CFC to improve output in terms of productivity, quality and yield obtained by small and medium diamond manufacturers.
Some of the services being offered at Amreli include:
- Analysing & marking of rough diamonds
- 4-P laser processing of rough diamonds
- Screening of potential CVD diamonds
- Cut analysis of polished diamonds
The CFC will engage in the following activities:
• Re-skilling of the existing artisans on various subjects.
• Approximately 4-5 short-term training in a year, particularly on cutting aspects of polished diamonds.
• Facilitating valuable structured interaction between stakeholders through meetings
• Establishing market linkages and broadening the product and market base.
• Providing guidance and creating awareness among trade members on market trends and government policies.