The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), the apex body for the gem & jewellery trade in India, Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), Mumbai Diamond Merchants Association (MDMA) and Diamond Exporters Association Ltd. (DEAL) have felicitated four Indian diamantaires for being appointed as Counsel Generals. This 'never-before' can be marked as a milestone for the gem & jewellery industry. This laurel will definitely position these industry leaders as harbingers for exploring new opportunities in the international arena.

Mr. Harshad Mehta, Chairman, Rosy Blue, has been appointed as the Counsel General for Armenia, Mr. Vishal Doshi, Group Executive Director, Shrenuj, for Botswana, Mr. Shreyas Doshi, CMD, Shrenuj, for Finland and Mr. Kishore Virani, Chairman, KARP Impex, for Lesotho.
The felicitation ceremony was held jointly by GJEPC, BDB, MDMA and DEAL. Mr. Anoop Mehta, President, BDB, Mr. Bharat Shah, President, MDMA, Mr. Arvind Parikh, President, DEAL, were present to felicitate the Honorary Counsel Generals.

Mr. Rajiv Jain speaking at the event said, "It is not only an honour and distinction for the Counsel Generals, but for our entire industry, especially as this must be the only time when four individuals have been chosen from a single industry to achieve this acclaim".

This is an achievement no doubt of the individuals and a recognition of their – and their companies' – efforts in establishing trade relations with these respective countries. I would like to believe that it is also a recognition and great credit for our industry which has taken such rapid strides in these past few decades to emerge as the leading diamond centre in the world, a strong jewellery manufacturing centre and exporter, a front ranking manufacturer and exporter of coloured gemstones and finally one of the most promising and fast developing markets for the gems and jewellery segment".

Mr. Sumit Mallik, Principal Secretary & Chief Protocol Officer (Govt. of Maharashtra) who was present at the function to felicitate the Counsel Generals said: "I congratulate the four stalwarts of the industry on achieving this accolade. They are extremely successful in their respective profession and we hope they open new doors of opportunities for all the countries with India to develop excellent trade prospects".

This title will further aid the gem & jewellery industry in their strategic move to strengthen ties with countries across the globe. Armenia, Lesotho, Botswana and Finland while enjoy a bilateral relation with India, this accolade only provides the Indian gem & jewellery industry with a firmer platform to penetrate further into these markets. Today, as India stands at the threshold of global expansion and economic stability, the Indian gem & jewellery industry is just inches away from being recognized as a global force. Commendable achievements like these only take the dream of building Brand India close to a phase of complete realization.