PANNA: A labourer has found a 3.15-carat diamond during digging work in a mine in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district, an official said on Saturday.
According to local experts, the precious stone may fetch around Rs 10-12 lakh in auction.
The labourer, Surendrapal Lodhi, is hopeful that the amount earned will reduce his financial hardships and take care of his children's education.
Lodhi found the 3.15-carat gem in a leased mine of Krishna Kalyanpur and deposited it on Friday, Anupam Singh, an official of the Panna diamond office, said.
The deposited diamond will be put up for the auction, which is organised at regular intervals. After deducting the government royalty from the auctioned amount, the rest will be paid to the labourer, the official said.
Lodhi said he is ecstatic about finding the precious stone after nine months of hard work.
Lodhi used to work as a migrant labourer, but decided to try his luck in the diamond mines after seeing the success of others.
The Panna district, located in Bundelkhand region, is estimated to have diamond reserves of 12 lakh carats.
