The Gujarat unit of Congress on Monday requested the state government to re-examine the rejected applications of unemployed diamond polishers who had applied under the special assistance scheme.On May 22, the Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, while addressing the media in Surat had announced a special relief package for the diamond industry, which is currently undergoing a recessionary phase. The package includes multiple provisions like the government paying school fees for the children of the diamond polishers who have been jobless for the last year. The maximum amount to be paid is Rs 13,500 per student for one year. A diamond polisher should have at least three years of work experience to be eligible for the relief.The Congress wrote to the state government after a High Power Committee, comprising officials from the Surat District Collector and the Surat District Industries Department, rejected 26,669 applications. The committee has so far approved 47,599 applications for special assistance in terms of school fees of Rs 13,500 for 2025-26 for the children of the unemployed diamond polishers.In the letter to CM Patel, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Manhar Patel said, “The Gujarat government had in May 2025 announced an economic assistance package for the unemployed gem artists. Under this initiative, an announcement was made to provide assistance of Rs 13,500 towards school fees for the children of gem artists, who have been jobless since March 31, 2024, and have worked in a diamond factory for at least three years. In this regard, a total of 74,268 application forms were filled out in Surat city, out of which 47,599 had been approved while 26,669 applications had been rejected.”The letter stated,“How come such a large number of forms have been cancelled/ rejected. It is a matter of investigation and sensitivity, and if these forms are being considered invalid due to any small or big mistake. The industry is experiencing a recession, and Diwali is approaching; therefore, factories remain closed during the Diwali holidays. Such mistakes should be corrected, and for that, a proper arrangement should be made to financially assist everyone with compassion.”The letter states, “The main objective of the state government is to support the economic condition of unemployed gem artists and their children. They should not be deprived of education… keeping this objective in mind, the applications of all the candidates should be accepted. The state government should adopt a positive approach to reach out to every applicant. The state government is requested to re-examine the cancelled form and rectify it.”For the implementation of the special assistance project, a committee comprising the Surat District Collector, the District Industries Commissioner, the District Education Officer, and the Surat Diamond Association has been formed to implement the state government scheme.Story continues below this adAfter the forms were submitted, they were forwarded to the Surat District Industries Department, which later handed them to the Surat Diamond Association (SDA) for verification.After verification, the forms had been submitted to the District Industries Commissioner. Joint Commissioner of Surat District Industries Commissioner, Jigar Dave said, “Out of 74,268 applications, 47599 applications consisting of 50,241 students had been approved, while 26,669 applications have been rejected due to mistakes in the forms filled by the polishers. A total of Rs 65.54 crore will be dispersed to the schools for the students whose applications have been approved. We are also looking into the application where wrong information was filled.”SDA President Jagdish Khunt said, “Our duty was to verify the forms. The forms were rejected on the basis of multiple criterias like in some cases, the diamond polishers had not mentioned the place and duration of employment. In some forms, no information about the address of the diamond factory, its owner, or the manager’s number was mentioned.”He further added, “The forms were submitted by the diamond polishers to the school authority and they should have ensured that all the details are properly filled. The said school authorities distributed these forms to the Surat District Industries Department without checking.”Story continues below this adKhunt added, “Majority of the diamond polishers are from Katargam and Varachha areas, and their children are studying in over 320 schools. We even received some forms from rural areas and approved them as they had all the details.”