The Government of India has allocated funds to upgrade facilities at the diamond production centers in the state of Gujarat, Diamond Intelligence reports. New Delhi invested the equivalent of $7.6 million to make new high-tech equipment available to smaller diamond companies at 13 different diamond industry centers in the Gujarat region.



The aid package will pay for machines for rough diamond planning, laser marking and computer-aided design for jewelry making. India's Gems and Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) successfully lobbied the federal government for the funds, which were funneled from the Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities program.



GJEPC vice chair Sanjay Kothari said that until now, the machines available for the use of small Gujarati firms was archaic, and hence the quality of their work suffered for it. Kothari said that by providing expensive machinery that can be shared will allow small companies to compete with international firms, according to Diamond Intelligence.