Panna: A labourer and his five associates have found a 6.26-carat diamond during digging work in a mine in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district, an official said on Thursday. The precious stone may fetch around Rs 30 lakh in the auction, according to experts. The labourer, Sunil Kumar, is hopeful that it will reduce their financial hardship.


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Kumar and his five associates found the 6.26-carat gem in a leased mine here on Wednesday, Panna diamond officer Anupam Singh said. As per rules, they deposited the diamond with the mining office, which regularly auctions such precious stones.


After deducting 12 per cent royalty from the auctioned amount, the rest will be paid to these labourers, the official said. Jubilant after finding the fine quality diamond, Kumar told PTI that had been worried about his children's future because of the family's poor financial condition.


"The proceeds from the diamond auction will help improve our financial condition," he said. “Around 20 days back, I had taken a 10 square metre land on lease in Jaruapar area along with my associates to find a diamond. Luck smiled on us and we found a precious stone while digging,” he added.


The Panna district, located in the Bundelkhand region, is estimated to have diamond reserves of 12 lakh carats. A number of poor labourers engaged in the mining work have found precious stones in mines here in the past.