National News
Hand-carriage facility at Ahmedabad Airport places Gujarat in the international export ecosystem: GJEPC
The approval for hand-carriage of gem and jewellery goods at Ahmedabad International Airport marks a major step forward in the Government of India and GJEPC’s ongoing efforts to enhance the ease of doing business for the industry. The inclusion of Ahmedabad in the official Hand-Carriage/HBoP system—announced through DGFT Public Notice No. 33/2025–26 dated 1 December 2025—comes at a time when India is expanding its global trade partnerships through FTAs with the UAE, Australia, UK and European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
The Hand Carriage facility, previously available only at Delhi port, has now been extended to all major ports—including Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai—with corresponding SOPs issued for smooth operations. Initially, Ahmedabad port was excluded from the list of Hand-Carry Points of Origin (HBoP). Following continued representation by GJEPC to the DGFT, Ahmedabad port has now been officially included in the HBoP network.
Soon after the DGFT notification, a GJEPC officials led by Jayanti Savaliya, Regional Chairman (Gujarat), approached and met Shiv Kumar Sharma, Principal Commissioner of Customs, Ahmedabad. He assured that the Customs department will fast-track the process and issue the SOP for the Ahmedabad hand-carriage facility at the earliest.
For exporters in Gujarat, this development is more than an operational convenience—it is a gateway to unlocking new export potential across key international markets. Hand-carriage access from Ahmedabad enables faster, secure movement of high-value consignments, allowing manufacturers and traders to fully leverage preferential access under existing and upcoming FTAs.
Gujarat—led by the Ahmedabad–Surat–Rajkot belt—has long been the global centre for cut and polished diamonds and is now rapidly evolving as a major hub for studded jewellery manufacturing. In FY 2024–25, gem and jewellery exports from the Gujarat Region totalled US$ 1,979.90 million, contributing nearly 7% to India’s overall exports in the sector. With Ahmedabad now added to the hand-carriage network, export operations from the region are expected to become more agile, competitive, and globally aligned.
The new facility will significantly benefit MSMEs, which form the backbone of jewellery manufacturing in Gujarat. Faster turnaround times, reduced process dependency, and direct access to international flights from Ahmedabad will enable businesses to meet global demand more efficiently—particularly for markets in the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.
Kirit Bhansali, Chairman, GJEPC, expressed gratitude to the DGFT and the Ministry of Commerce for this timely and progressive decision, noting that the inclusion of Ahmedabad in the hand-carriage network will strengthen the Gujarat region’s growing prominence in studded jewellery manufacturing.

Kirit Bhansali added: “This has been a long-standing need of exporters in Gujarat, and GJEPC has been consistently pursuing it with DGFT. The new facility will greatly support businesses across Ahmedabad, Surat, and Rajkot—regions that collectively drive India’s diamond and jewellery exports. The decision brings convenience, speed, and greater ease of operations for thousands of exporters who can now ship and receive goods through Ahmedabad Airport.”
Jayanti Savaliya, Regional Chairman (Gujarat), GJEPC, said “Gujarat is the heart of India’s diamond cutting and polishing industry, and Ahmedabad is emerging as a major international aviation hub. Allowing hand-carriage from Ahmedabad will simplify procedures, save crucial time for exporters, and provide a major boost to MSMEs. This policy change will directly strengthen India’s position in the global gem and jewellery trade.”

The new hand-carriage facility will enable quicker movement of goods, reduced waiting time, and lower operational costs for exporters. With smoother processes and improved transparency, this step reinforces the shared commitment of the Government and GJEPC to support exporters, enhance industry competitiveness, and position Gujarat as a rising centre for value-added jewellery manufacturing.
National News
Senco Gold & Diamonds Partners With Olocker to Give Customers Free Jewellery Insurance, Letting Precious Memories Be Worn, Not Hidden Away
A Customer-First Initiative Designed to Help People Wear Their Precious Memories with Confidence.
Senco Gold & Diamonds, one of India’s most trusted jewellery houses, has partnered with Olocker, India’s first dedicated jewellery insurance platform, to offer free jewellery insurance to its customers, protecting purchases against risks such as snatching, robbery, and housebreaking.
On the surface, it’s a simple value-add: buy jewellery from Senco, get it insured, at no extra cost. But the thinking behind it is more personal — the freedom to actually live with the things you love.
There is a quiet ritual that plays out in homes across India every wedding season, every anniversary. A piece of jewellery is bought with love, worn once or twice with pride — and then, almost apologetically, tucked away in a bank locker for “safekeeping.” The very thing meant to be cherished ends up spending most of its life in the dark.
A Locker Is No Place for a Memory
Ask any family that owns fine jewellery, and you’ll hear the same quiet anxiety: the fear of stepping out wearing something precious, the fear of a break-in while the house is empty. For many, the solution has always been the same — lock it away, take it out only for weddings and festivals, and let it sit untouched the rest of the year.
It’s a practical response to a real risk, but it also means jewellery bought to mark a marriage or a milestone ends up being seen far less than it deserves.
This is the exact problem Senco Gold & Diamonds’ Managing Director, Suvankar Sen,

has spoken about wanting to solve. Known for a customer-first philosophy that goes beyond transactions, Sen has often said jewellery should be something people live with, not something they merely own. “Jewellery is never just metal and stone,” Sen said, explaining the thinking behind the Olocker partnership. “It’s a wedding day, a mother’s blessing, a promise kept. When customers can’t step out wearing it, or can’t leave home without worrying about a break-in, something is broken in that experience. We wanted to fix that.”
That sentiment is the quiet engine behind this initiative. Rather than simply selling jewellery and stepping back, Senco has chosen to walk the extra mile — ensuring that once a customer takes a piece home, they can wear it freely and pass it down through generations, without the constant undercurrent of worry.
What the Partnership Actually Offers
Through this collaboration, Senco customers receive free jewellery insurance via Olocker on qualifying purchases, protecting against snatching, robbery, and housebreaking.
Olocker, India’s first digital platform dedicated to jewellery insurance and asset tracking, brings the technical and insurance backbone — while Senco brings its decades of trust, built since 1938, to make sure customers actually use it.
For a family that has just bought a piece for a wedding, this means peace of mind — wearing that necklace to a dinner without the nagging thought of “what if someone snatches it,” or “what if someone breaks in while we’re away.”
A Partnership Built on Shared Intent
The excitement isn’t one-sided. At Olocker, the partnership is seen as validation of the idea the platform was built on — that jewellery insurance should be a natural, everyday companion to ownership, not a niche afterthought.
“This is genuinely one of the most exciting collaborations we’ve been part of,” said Milind Shethia, Founder & Chief Marketing Officer at Olocker. “Our mission has been to help people wear their jewellery instead of locking it away, and partnering with a name as trusted as Senco brings that mission to millions of customers at once.
What’s heartening is Mr. Sen’s own approach — he didn’t look at it as a marketing tie-up, but as giving something back to people who’ve trusted Senco for generations. That kind of intent is rare, and it’s exactly the spirit we built Olocker around.”
That mutual sense of purpose is what gives this partnership its quiet credibility. It isn’t a scheme or a promotional hook, but two organisations agreeing on a simple, shared belief: jewellery should be lived in, not locked up.
A Bigger Idea About Ownership
There is a broader philosophy at play, one Suvankar Sen has championed throughout his tenure at Senco — that jewellery is an emotional asset as much as a financial one, and customers shouldn’t have to choose between enjoying it and protecting it.
This partnership feels less like a marketing initiative and more like a promise kept, reflecting a leadership style that measures success in something harder to quantify — how cared for a customer feels long after leaving the showroom.
As jewellery increasingly doubles as adornment and investment, initiatives like this one may well set a new benchmark for customer care in the industry.
Senco, through its partnership with Olocker, isn’t just insuring jewellery against snatching or a break-in — it’s giving people back the freedom to wear their memories, out loud, without fear.
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