NEW DELHI. Recognising the high potential for employment and innovation of lab grown diamonds (LGD) technology, the NarendraModi Government has approved the research grant of Rs 242 crore to the Indian Institute of Technology Madras to pave the way for indigenous production of LGD seeds and machines and to reduce import dependency. The investment will be made over a period of five years, as stated by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the budget presentation.
The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) is understandably enthused over the boost to the environment-friendly lab grown diamonds that have optically and chemically the same properties as natural diamonds. Significantly, researching lab grown diamonds will also aid developments in 5G and 6G, magnetometry, thermal management, sensors, and quantum technologies.
Says V Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras, “IIT Madras will work towards producing diamond wafers suitable for electronic applications. It is a historic moment for IIT Madras for being selected for implementation of such an important project, output of which will be a crucial component of Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
Prof M S Ramachandra Rao, Chair Professor, IIT Madras, who will work as principal investigator for the initiative, says, “We are honoured to contribute to the initiatives of the Government of India to boost research and development efforts in diamond growth to make India #1 country in producing good quality diamond crystals. ”
The global diamond market demands bigger and high pure lab-grown diamond crystals for commercial and electronic applications. The research and development to process parameters to grow high pure large-volume and scalable diamond crystals will help India become the world leader in lab-grown diamonds.
