Panna, Aug 28: For the sixth time in two years, a farmer in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh has mined a high quality diamond - this time weighing 6.47 carat - in a land taken on lease from the government.
The farmer, Prakash Majumdar, found this diamond from a mine in Jaruapur village in the district on Friday, said Nutan Jain, in-charge diamond officer.
The 6.47 carat diamond will be put up for sale in the upcoming auction and the price will be fixed as per the government guidelines, she said.
Majumdar said that he will share the amount received from the auction with his four partners engaged in quarrying the mine.
"We are five partners. We got the diamond weighing 6.47 carat, which we deposited at the Government Diamond Office," he told reporters on Friday.
He said that he had found a 7.44 carat diamond last year. Besides, he had also mined four other precious stones weighing 2 to 2.5 carat in the past two years.
Officials said that the raw diamond would be auctioned and the proceeds would be given to the farmer after deduction of government royalty and taxes.
As per the private estimates, the 6.47 carat diamond is likely to fetch around Rs 30 lakh in the auction.
Panna district is estimated to have diamond reserves of 12 lakh carats. The state government gives small patches of land on lease in Panna diamond reserve area to local farmers and labourers to mine diamonds and deposit them with the district mining officer.
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Chennai: After four days of political uncertainty and intense negotiations in Tamil Nadu, actor-politician Vijay is learnt to have secured the numbers required to form the government, sources said.
Supporters gathered outside Vijay’s residence in Chennai on Friday evening, raising slogans in support of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam soon after reports emerged that the party had managed to secure majority support.
Sources said Vijay is expected to meet Tamil Nadu Governor R. V. Arlekar on Friday evening to stake claim to form the government. The meeting is likely to take place around 6 pm.
In its electoral debut in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, TVK won 108 out of the 234 seats, dealing a major blow to the 62-year political dominance of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
However, Governor Arlekar had reportedly made it clear that the party would not be invited to form the government without proving a clear majority. Even after two rounds of discussions on Wednesday and Thursday, the Governor is learnt to have maintained his stand that letters of support from at least 118 MLAs must be submitted in the 234-member Assembly.
Apart from Vijay, TVK had the backing of 107 MLAs. Vijay had contested from Tiruchy (East) and Perambur constituencies and won both seats, meaning he would have to resign from one seat before taking oath. This increased the need for additional support.
Amid the political developments, five MLAs from the Congress party, which reportedly moved away from the DMK-led alliance, extended support to Vijay. Vijay also held discussions with leaders of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Communist Party of India.
The VCK, CPI(M) and CPI had so far been allies of the DMK. At the same time, political discussions intensified in the state over speculation that the DMK could even explore a post-poll understanding with its long-time rival AIADMK to prevent an alternative government from taking shape.
Reports had been circulating since Friday afternoon that the VCK and Left parties were likely to support Vijay. Sources later said that the VCK, CPI(M) and CPI agreed to extend the support of two MLAs each, helping TVK cross the required majority mark.
All eyes are now on the Governor’s next move and the official announcement regarding the formation of the new government in Tamil Nadu.
