The Madhya Pradesh government has started the process of setting up a diamond cutting and polishing park in the State's Panna district, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said.

Notably, Panna district has a vast reserve of gems, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said. "Panna is located in Madhya Pradesh but work of cutting polishing of diamonds is carried out in other places. Hence, we have initated the process of setting up a diamond park here," MP Chief Misnter Shivraj Singh Chouhan said while addressing a programme at a Polytechnic College Ground here on September 24.

Panna district, located over 380 km from Bhopal, has reserves estimated to be containing diamonds totalling 12 lakh carats, according to officials. Meanwhile, 105 diamonds weighing 144.32 carat, excavated from Panna mines, fetched Rs.1.87 crore during the three-day auction that concluded on September 23, diamond officer Ravi Patel said.

The proceeds from the auction of raw diamonds would be given to the miners who found them after deducting government royalty and taxes at 11.5%, which is Rs.21.51 lakh in this auction, he said. He said that this 14-carat diamond could not reach the auction price. t times it happens due to clarity of colour. It is a big size gem but quality degraded due to black spots. We want it to fetch good rates,” he said.

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