PM Modi gifts eco-friendly lab-grown diamond to U.S. First Lady Jill Biden

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in the U.S. for a three-day state visit, has gifted an eco-friendly lab-grown 7.5-carat diamond, placed in Kashmir’s exquisite Papier mâché box, to the U.S. First Lady Jill Biden.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in the U.S. for a three-day State visit, has gifted an eco-friendly lab-grown 7.5-carat diamond, placed in Kashmir's exquisite Papier mâché box, to the U.S. First Lady Jill Biden.

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U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted the Prime Minister for an intimate dinner at the White House, during which they discussed a range of issues, exchanged gifts and enjoyed a musical tribute to the regions of India.

"Bharat Ka Heera! (India's diamond) PM@NarendraModi ji gifts this beautiful eco-friendly lab-grown diamond, placed in Kashmir's exquisite Papier mâché box to the U.S First Lady @FLOTUS," Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said in a tweet.

The diamond is eco-friendly as resources like solar and wind power were used in its making. The green diamond is sculpted with precision and care using cutting-edge technology. It emits only 0.028 grams of carbon per carat and is certified by the Gemological Lab, IGI (International Gemological Institute).

India is promoting manufacturing of lab-grown diamond (LGD) in the country and for that the government announced steps in the last Union Budget.

The government had announced elimination of customs duty on LGD seeds from 5% earlier. It also approved a five-year research grant to the Indian Institutes of Technology, Madras to encourage the indigenous production of LGD machinery, seeds and recipe.