Surat: At least 11,200 Right to Information (RTI) applications have been filed by diamond artisans seeking details on the rejection of their applications for school fee assistance of Rs 13,500 per child, officials said. The artisans have expressed anguish over the rejection, citing severe financial hardship following job losses in the diamond sector.According to official data, 26,669 out of 74,268 applications submitted by jobless diamond artisans for school fee support were rejected. The scheme is being implemented by the District Industries Centre (DIC) on behalf of the state government.Artisans whose applications were rejected had earlier approached the DIC seeking clarification but claimed they did not receive satisfactory responses. Subsequently, they began filing RTI applications.In their RTI submissions, the artisans sought detailed reasons for the rejection of their applications, copies of the submitted forms, copies of recommendation letters issued by the Surat Diamond Association (SDA) after verification, and details of the officials who processed their applications.Officials said 47,599 applications, covering 50,241 children, were approved under the scheme. Of the total applications received, 47,599 were verified and recommended for assistance.“I am the father of two children and submitted all required documents, but I did not receive the school fee support. I filed an RTI because I was not told why my application was rejected,” said Vijay Rakholiya, a diamond artisan.Another jobless artisan, Bachu Nandwana, said, “I have 24 years of experience in diamond polishing and have never faced such a difficult phase. I needed the school fee assistance to ensure my children’s education, but my application was rejected.”Bhavesh Tank, vice-president of the Diamond Worker Union Gujarat, said several eligible artisans were denied assistance. “They approached the DIC with queries, and when they did not receive proper answers, they filed RTI applications,” he said.A DIC official said artisans have been informed that they can examine the documents and take copies if required. “Replying individually to such a large number of RTI applications is not possible in the current situation,” the official said.The state govt announced the support package in May for the struggling diamond cutting and polishing industry following representations by various associations. Under the package, the govt agreed to pay school fees of up to Rs 13,500 per child for the academic year 2025–26 to ensure that children of diamond workers who lost their jobs after March 31, 2024, do not drop out of school.The package also includes interest subsidies on loans and waivers of electricity duty for diamond cutting and polishing units.Form collection for school fee assistance continued for nearly two months, with more than 1.20 lakh applications submitted across Gujarat. The submission process concluded at the end of July.As per the procedure, prescribed forms were distributed to applicants and collected through schools before being submitted to the DIC. The applications were then forwarded to the SDA for verification, following which the approved forms were returned to the DIC for final processing.
