Huge Diamond Recovered at India's Only Mechanized Mine

(IDEX Online) - A 27.29-carat gem-quality diamond has been recovered at Majhgawan, India's only mechanized diamond mine.

The government's National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), which owns the mine, estimates it's worth around Rs 1 crore ($105,000).

It is the second-largest stone ever recovered from the operation. The largest was a 37.68-carat diamond found in 2011.

The mine, in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, central India, produced just 6,000 carats of diamonds between April and August in the current financial year.

It has annual production capacity of about 84,000 carats, making it tiny by the standards of the world's major diamond mines.

Commercial production at Majhgawan began in 1971, and the mine was operated by Rio Tinto until 2017. Production has been halted several times over the years, most recently after environmental clearances lapsed in December 2020.

The mine's unusual location is part of that history. Majhgawan is close to the Panna Tiger Reserve, and concerns over the potential impact on wildlife have repeatedly complicated mining operations.

In 2025 that NMDC said it expected to produce about 6,500 carats from the mine that financial year, valued at $3.4 million, as it worked its way back into production. The company initially processed old ore stockpiles while preparing to resume mining fresh ore.

Panna also has a substantial artisanal diamond-mining tradition. More than 1,000 licensed artisanal mining plots operate in the area, making the mechanized Majhgawan operation very different from the small-scale digging that has long been associated with Panna.

Pic shows the Majhgawan mine.