Jewellery manufacturing units in Jaipur, Surat resume limited operations

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 4, 2020

A number of gem and jewellery units in Jaipur and Surat special economic zones and export promotion industrial parks have resumed limited operations and have begun to ship export parcels.

 
Jaipur’s EPIP and SEZ Zone I and II were the first units to resume limited gem and jewellery manufacturing since the lockdown began in India on March 24, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council announced on its website. The units have also shipped their first export packages since lockdown began.
 
Surat’s SEZ has also resumed limited operations for eight units during the extended lockdown. Both city’s manufacturing units have been allowed to partially reopen with a set of new safety regulations including social distancing for workers. 

“This important development was a result of extensive coordination between different government authorities and concerned exporters, facilitated by The GJEPC,” the organisation announced on its website. The GJEPC is in continued discussions with agencies to facilitate the shipment of export parcels from Surat to Mumbai in order to facilitate additional exports, it said.
 
The nationwide lockdown has been extended again by the Home Ministry until May 18. Although the Home Ministry has announced that lockdown has resulted in “significant gains” against the virus, Friday saw cases spike to record levels for the country, BBC reported. 
 
As of Monday afternoon, India counts 45,928 confirmed coronavirus cases with 1,395 fatalities.