'Major boost to diamonds industry': PM Modi to inaugurate Surat Diamond Bourse today

The entire SDB megastructure comprises of nine 15-storey towers, which house a total of around 4,700 offices. The bourse's size is also larger than the Israel Diamond Exchange, which is spread across an area of 80,000 square metres and houses over 1,000 offices.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Surat, one of the financial hubs of Gujarat, on December 17 to inaugurate the newly-built Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) building.

The building, part of the Diamond Research and Mercantile (DREAM) City, will be a "major boost to the diamonds industry", Modi posted on social media platform X.

"In Surat tomorrow, the Surat Diamond Bourse will be inaugurated. This will be a major boost to the diamonds industry. The ‘Customs Clearance House’, Jewellery Mall and facility of International Banking and Safe Vaults will be significant parts of the Bourse," he tweeted on December 16.

Also Read: India's diamond polishing industry revenue may drop 30-35% this fiscal: Crisil Ratings

The prime minister will also inaugurate the newly-upgraded terminal building of the Surat airport on his arrival there the same day, officials said.

The SDB building, the world’s largest office complex with over 67 lakh square feet of floor area, is located at Khajod village near Surat city.

Ahead of the inauguration, several diamond traders, including those based in Mumbai earlier, have already taken possession of their offices allotted by the management after auction, SDB’s media convener Dinesh Navadiya said in the statement.

After the inauguration, the prime minister will address a large gathering near the SDB building, he said. Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel had 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, the release said.

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

With PTI inputs