'1.5 lakh jobs will be created,' says PM Modi after inaugurating Surat Diamond Bourse

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that around 1.5 lakh jobs will be created due to Surat Diamond Bourse, the world's largest officespace. His remarks came after he inaugurated the diamond exchange. "Surat diamond industry is giving employment to 8 lakh people. With the coming up of new diamond bourse, 1.5 lakh more will get jobs," PM Modi said. 

Prime Minister Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Surat Diamond Bourse, the world's largest office building. The Surat Diamond Bourse will be the most modern centre for the international diamond and jewellery business, according to a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement.

The building has a floor area of more than 67 lakh square feet and is located at the Khajod village near Surat. Surat Diamond Bourse will be a global centre for trading of both rough and polished diamonds as well as jewellery. It has 4,500 offices and a whopping 130 elevators.

The bourse will comprise the 'Customs Clearance House' for Import-Export; Jewellery Mail for retail jewellery business and facility of International Banking and Safe Vaults.

"It will be the world's largest and modern centre for international diamond and jewellery business. It will be a global centre for trading of both rough and polished diamonds as well as jewellery. Bourse will comprise state of the art 'Customs Clearance House' for Import-Export; Jewellery mall for retail jewellery business and facility of International Banking and Safe Vaults," the PMO release stated.

During his Surat visit, Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the new integrated terminal building of the Surat airport. The building is equipped to handle 1,200 domestic and 600 international passengers during peak hours. The Surat airport terminal building has provision for further increasing the peak hour capacity to 3,000 passengers with annual handling capacity increasing to 55 lakh passengers.

"The terminal building, as it is the gateway to Surat city, has been designed with its local culture and heritage ensuring that the essence should reflect both in interior and exterior, creating a sense of place for the visitors. The facade of the upgraded terminal building aims to enrich the passenger experience with the rich and traditional woodwork of the old houses of the 'Rander' region of Surat city," the release read.

The new terminal building of the Surat airport is equipped with various sustainability features like double insulated roofing system, canopies for energy saving, low heat gain double glazing unit, rain water harvesting, water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant and use of recycled water for landscaping and solar power plant among others.

Later in the day, he will also inaugurate the New Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar-New Bhaupur Dedicated Freight Corridor Project in Varanasi made at a cost outlay of around Rs 10,900 crore. He will also inaugurate other projects including Ballia-Ghazipur City rail line doubling project and Indara-Dohrighat rail line gauge conversion project among others.

He will also flag off the Varanasi-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express train, Dohrighat-Mau MEMU train and a pair of long-haul goods trains at the newly dedicated freight corridor.

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