Surat Diamond Bourse to create 1.5 lakh jobs: PM Modi

Surat, Dec 17 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Surat Diamond Bourse, world's largest and modern centre for international diamond and jewellery business, is the symbol of strength and determination of the new India.

Modi inaugurated the Surat Diamond Bourse in Gujarat and the new integrated terminal of the city's international airport during his visit here.

Later addressing a gathering, Modi said the Surat diamond industry is giving employment to 8 lakh people, and with the new bourse, 1.5 lakh more jobs will be added.

"One more diamond is added to Surat's grandeur. The diamond is not small but the world's best. Even the biggest buildings of the world pale before the glint of this diamond," he said.

"Whenever one talks about this diamond bourse in the world, Surat and India will be mentioned," the PM said.

The Surat Diamond Bourse shows the capability of Indian design, designers, material and concept. "This building is the symbol of new strength and determination of new India," he said.

Modi also said the Surat airport has got the status of an international airport.

The Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) building, the world's largest office complex with more than 67 lakh square feet of floor area, is located at Khajod village near Surat city.

It will be a global centre for trading of both rough and polished diamonds as well as jewellery, as per an official statement.

It will comprise a state-of-the-art 'Customs Clearance House' for import and export, jewellery mall for retail jewellery business and facility of international banking and safe vaults, it said.

Several diamond traders, including those based in Mumbai earlier, have already taken possession of their offices, which were allotted by the management after auction, SDB's media convener Dinesh Navadiya said in a statement recently.

The SDB is part of the Diamond Research and Mercantile (DREAM) City.

Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel in February 2015 performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the SDB and DREAM City project.

With 67 lakh square feet of floor space, the SDB is now the world's largest office building having nearly 4,500 diamond trading offices, a release said.

The mega structure, built on a plot of 35.54 acres inside the DREAM City, has nine towers of 15 floors with office spaces ranging from 300 sq ft to 1 lakh sq ft. PTI