Varanasi: Banaras Hindu University (BHU) will soon come up with a state-of-the-art gem testing facility at its Central Discovery Centre, which will cater to the needs of those involved in the trading and business of gemstones.
The BHU spokesperson said as part of the exercise, the university will hold an industry meet on gemstones on Thursday, where interaction between representatives of the industry and experts from BHU will seek to understand the needs of the industry so as to better address them. The experts will share insights on testing and identification of gems with traditional as well as modern and scientific methods.
The BHU facility will be the first such advanced and reliable testing facility in this part of the country. Currently, most of the gem testing labs are located in western parts of the country like Mumbai, Surat and Ahmedabad. Eastern Uttar Pradesh has a dearth of such reliable testing facilities, the official said.
The full-fledged gem testing and research laboratory is being set up under the second phase of the grants received through SATHI (Sophisticated Analytical and Technical Help Institute) scheme, sanctioned by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). With an investment of Rs 3.75 crore, the lab will have advanced and sophisticated instruments.