Panna: Hunt for treasure in India's diamond town in Madhya Pradesh

In Panna, families hunt for diamonds hoping to strike rich and escape the cycle of poverty.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifyUS ElectionElection pollsKamala HarrisDonald TrumpJD VanceTim WalzSportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsUS ElectionSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersDreaming of diamonds: Generations dig for fortune in India's gem townBBC HindiPrakash Sharma has been mining diamonds for 50 years“I feel sick if I don’t search for diamonds. It’s like a drug.”

Prakash Sharma, 67, speaks about diamonds with a passion that has defined his life for the past five decades.

A diamond hunter in India’s central state of Madhya Pradesh, he spends most of his day in the mines of Panna district.

Panna is among the country’s most backward regions - its residents face poverty, water scarcity, and unemployment. But it's also home to most of India’s diamond reserves and remains a prime destination for diamond hunters.

While most mines are managed by the federal government, state officials lease out small parts of land to prospective miners every year at nominal prices. The district has the country’s only mechanised diamond mine.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg211yy9r6o

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