But he is one of the lucky ones — the local trade union estimates that between 30,000 and 50,000 diamond workers in Surat have lost their jobs. Rough timesOriginally founded as a port city at the mouth of the Tapi river, Surat earned a reputation as the “Diamond City of India” in the 1960s and ’70s. “If it doesn’t go through Surat, a diamond is not a diamond,” said Chirag Patel, CEO of Chirag Gems. The Gujarat Diamond Workers’ Union has asked Gujarat’s chief minister for a 10-billion-rupee ($128-million) relief package for workers who have lost their jobs. “Surat has scrubbed diamonds for the entire world but our diamond workers are now getting scrubbed.”“We can only pray to God that the war will end.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 26, 2022 06:54 UTC