Jaipur: Rajasthan has emerged as a major global stone processing hub despite mining restrictions affecting raw material supplies, with industry leaders now urging the Centre to create stronger domestic demand by mandating public sector undertakings (PSUs) to procure domestically produced or processed stones.Speaking at the preview of Stonemart 2028, Naresh Pareek, national joint secretary of Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB), said India’s dimension stone industry was diversifying its export markets following higher tariffs imposed by the United States, but domestic consumption needed a policy push.Pareek said Railways had already been using domestic stone in station construction and redevelopment projects and called for a similar procurement policy across other PSUs.“Railways is using domestic stone in its stations. We want a similar arrangement with other PSUs as well,” he said.Highlighting Rajasthan’s growing role in the sector, Pareek said curbs on mining had impacted the availability of raw material, but the state had simultaneously developed into a key stone-processing centre. “Today we have all kinds of technology and are processing around 80% of the stones. Entrepreneurs in Rajasthan are importing stones from different parts of the world and adding value through processing,” he said.According to Pareek, the value-addition ecosystem has generated significant employment and strengthened exports.He said Rajasthan’s entrepreneurs were increasingly importing raw stone from overseas, processing it with advanced technology and exporting finished products, helping the state consolidate its position in the global stone trade despite challenges in mining operations.
