Over 20,000 diamond workers employed in small diamond units have been left essentially jobless as their employers have not reopened following the Diwali vacation due to the effects of demonetization.
The government’s decision last month to withdraw the largest banknotes – of 500 and 1,000 rupees in a bid to crack down on corruption and money-laundering – has hit the diamond and jewelry industries where most transactions are cash based.
The Ratnakalakar Vikas Sangh (RVS), representing the diamond workers in Surat, has demanded unemployment allowance for the diamond workers.
