The diamond industry in Surat feels jilted by a new plan to invest resources in diamond trading centers around the country that excludes it from the list of beneficiaries, Rough and Polished reports.



The new five-year-plan, the twelfth of its kind from India's Gems and Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), will see $231 million distributed to diamond centers in Mumbai, Jaipur, Kolkota and Gujarat, but Surat, the largest diamond center in the world, has been left off the list. Surat falls within the jurisdiction of Gujarat, but none of the 13 centers to be built there will service Surat.



Surat Diamond Association president Dinesh Navadia waved an accusatory finger at the GJEPC, saying that responsibility for propose new projects lies with the GJEPC regional council and that it has been negligent in this area. Navadia noted that Surat's artisan workers need to be trained in jewelry making in order to remain competitive, according to Rough and Polished.