With the lockdown extended till May 3, India’s Surat diamond sector has sought financial assistance from the government to pay minimum wages, as per media reports.
Dinesh Navadiya, regional chairman of Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) said: "While wages for March have been paid in full, there has been no revenue during the lockdown which has now been extended till May 3. But some workers have not gone back to their native states and need to be paid minimum wages at least. Hence, we have made a representation to the government seeking financial assistance for the same.”
With exports at a standstill and half its migrant workforce having gone back to their home states, the Surat diamond sector is not ready to resume cutting and polishing operations. Most of the units are more or less lying idle currently. It is said that around 220,000 to 250,000 migrant workers have left and the rest have stayed back since they have now settled in the diamond city with their families.
Industry leaders say that it is currently not feasible to resume operations. As many unit owners hardly have enough to survive themselves, paying wages is becoming impossible unless the government extends support.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished
