Panna: In Madhya Pradesh’s Panna district, four labourers have dug up an 8.22-carat diamond worth at least Rs 40 lakh. The hunters had been hunting the gems for over a decade, an official told PTI. According to Panna collector Sanjay Kumar Mishra, diamonds were found on leased land in the Hirapur Tapariyan area of the district by Ratanlal Prajapati and others. Mishra said the diamond and other gems will be auctioned off later this month.
Government officials told PTI that auction proceeds would be given to the respective miners after royalties and taxes have been deducted. The latest precious stone found by the labourers will also be auctioned off on September 21 along with 139 other diamonds. Reports say the diamond found by the labourers is valued at Rs 40 lakh.
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Among the labourers who found the gem was Raghuvir Prajapati, who said that they spent the last 15 years searching in various mines for diamonds. ‘We leased small mines in different areas for the past 15 years but did not find any diamond. This year, we have been mining on leased land at Hirapur Tapariyan for the past six months and were pleasantly surprised to find a diamond weighing 8.22 carat,’ he said. Raghuvir Prajapati and his partners plan to use the proceeds of the diamond auction to give their children a better life.
PTI cited official sources as saying that reserves in Panna district, more than 380 km from the capital of the state of Bhopal, contain diamonds measuring 12 lakh carats.
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