Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah today called upon the Indian gems and jewellery industry to ensure that the entire ecosystem and manufacturing chain of lab-grown diamonds remain firmly in Indian hands.
Addressing the 52nd India Gems and Jewellery Awards ceremony in Mumbai, Mr. Shah said the nature of the diamond trade is changing with the emergence of lab-grown diamonds. He said the lab-grown diamond market, in terms of volume, is expected to become nearly 50 times the size of the current diamond market, describing it as a monumental opportunity for India.
The Minister said India has the infrastructure, capabilities, capital and entrepreneurial talent needed to seize this opportunity. He urged the industry to build capabilities across the entire value chain, including manufacturing machinery, diamond production, jewellery making, branding and setting up showrooms of Indian companies in cities across the world.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other dignitaries were present at the event.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister inaugurated a specially curated exhibition of manuscripts titled “Shri Ganesh Dnyanarati” at the Asiatic Society of Mumbai. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Shah said India has a rich and vibrant knowledge tradition whose light has the potential to guide the entire world. He said this enduring legacy of knowledge has enabled the country to preserve its identity and civilisational continuity despite centuries of foreign invasions.
Mr. Shah said the spirit of Bharat could never be enslaved because its memory remained alive in its history, language, culture, archives and traditions. He urged the Asiatic Society to use modern technology to take its vast repository of knowledge to people across the country. The Union Minister also visited the library and inspected the work being carried out at the Society’s manuscript conservation laboratory.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other dignitaries were present at the event.
