India’s state-run miner, National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), has resumed diamond mining operations at the Panna mine in Madhya Pradesh, following a three-year hiatus due to environmental clearance delays. The Supreme Court granted permission to recommence mining near the Panna Tiger Reserve, subject to specific guidelines. Since resuming, NMDC has extracted 3,700 carats of diamonds, valued at approximately $1.93 million, from existing ore stockpiles. The company plans to initiate new mining activities within the next two to three months, aiming to produce a total of 6,500 carats, worth about $3.4 million, in the current fiscal year. The Panna mine, operational since the 1970s, is India’s only mechanized diamond mine. The region has posed challenges for diamond mining due to its environmental sensitivity, as evidenced by the halted Bunder project initiated by Rio Tinto, which ceased operations in 2016-2017 after spending $90 million but failing to proceed due to wildlife concerns.