When, almost seven years ago, the then Madhya Pradesh government decided to exploit the Deobhog diamond mines, De Beers was the first choice. However, the deal didn’t fructify because of the stiff position taken by the main Opposition bjp and a section of the Congress, including Ajit Jogi, Chhattisgarh’s current CM. Raising the swadeshi slogan, Jogi had charged MP chief minister Digvijay Singh with having accepted Rs 50 crore for the deal.
Subsequently, Chhattisgarh came into being and the Jogi government revoked the license granted to an Indian company on the ground that it had violated the lease conditions. The company is in court and the case is still pending. Meanwhile, fresh tenders were invited for prospecting in the remaining seven blocks. Of the 46 companies which evinced interest, 12 were shortlisted. And four of these are various avatars of De Beers. If business circles are to be believed then the South African diamond giant is tipped to be handed over the exploration of the mines.
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