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Two months after Gujarat announced a rare financial assistance package for distressed diamond units and workers, over 74,000 workers from Surat and Ahmedabad have applied for school fee aid.
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VIJAY SONEJI/The Hindu
Two months after the Gujarat government declared a rare financial assistance package for distressed diamond units and workers in the state, the government on Tuesday told the state legislature that it has received a total of 74180 applications from diamond workers in Surat and Ahmedabad seeking financial assistance from the government for paying school fees for their wards.
Of the applications received till July 31, 2025, only 170 children of diamond workers in Ahmedabad have been given a cumulative Rs 24.03 lakh as compensation, states the data tabled as part of a written reply to a question posed by Tushar Amarsinh Chaudhary, a senior Congress MLA from Khedbhrama constituency, during the Question Hour on Tuesday. As per the assistance package declared for diamond workers, each school-going child will be given a maximum of Rs 13500 by the government for a year.
Aid package covers workers jobless post-March 2024
In order to support an ailing diamond industry in Gujarat, the state government in May 2025 declared a rare financial assistance package for both the diamond units and the diamond workers. While special assistance was declared to ensure the financial stability of the diamond units operating in Gujarat, the government had decided to hand-hold the diamond workers by providing aid to their school-going wards. The package was applicable to diamond workers who had lost their jobs after March 31, 2024.
This aid is to ensure that the education of children of the diamond workers does not get adversely impacted. This assistance will be given to the schools through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
As part of the written reply provided on Tuesday, the Gujarat government stated that it received 70,254 applications from distressed diamond workers in Surat city, while an additional 3,926 applications have been received from diamond workers in Ahmedabad till the end of July 2025. The government went on to state that while 170 children of diamond workers in Ahmedabad have been given a cumulative ₹24.03 lakh, the applicants from Surat are yet to be given any money.
Pending applications under scrutiny, workers allege delay
The government stated that a total of 70,254 applications from Surat were pending, along with an additional 3,756 applications from Ahmedabad. All pending applications were being scrutinised, and thoase deemed eligible would be provided with the declared assistance. Bhavesh Tank, vice-president of Surat-based Diamond Workers Union, told businessline, “Every day we are getting 5-6 applications from diamond workers who have lost their jobs. Their main complaint is that they have not received any support from the Gujarat government despite filing applications months ago. They say that the schools are now putting pressure on the parents with regard to payment of fees.”
Diamond industry faces prolonged slump, tariff fears post-Diwali
The diamond industry in Gujarat has been experiencing a lean phase for over two years. “It remains to be seen what situation will unfold after Diwali when the US tariffs will kick-in. If the tariffs will take effect, then we predict large scale loss of jobs and closure of units,” Tank added.
Published on September 9, 2025
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