Savji Dholakia, owner of Harikrishna Exports, says the average monthly salary of each of his artisans and engineers is Rs 1 lakh

SURAT: The liquidity crisis may have dampened the spirits of the diamond industry this year but it’s going to be a glittering festival of lights for nearly 1,200 employees of Harikrishna Exports, a Rs 6,000-crore diamond firm in Surat.Company chairman Savji Dholakia surprised his artisans and engineers on Sunday by asking them to choose from car, flat and jewellery as their performance incentive. The employees qualified in what the company calls a “loyalty programme”. Around 500 employees opted for a brand new Fiat Punto, 570 for jewellery and 207 chose a flat.“All my dreams have come true through my workers,” said Dholakia. “A target was set for the artisans and engineers and they achieved it. This is a big day for the entire Harikrishna family. We’re the first company in the world to offer performance incentive valued at around Rs 3.60 lakh to each of the 1,200 diamond workers,” he added.Dholakia said his company paid a total of Rs 50 crore worth of incentive to the workers this year. The company had started the “loyalty programme” in 2011. In the first year, three artisans were gifted cars. Last year, around 72 artisans were given cars for achieving their annual targets.Jignesh Makwana, 39, a diamond artisan in the company, said, “I received a car as gift last year. So, this year when I qualified in the incentive scheme, I opted for a flat. I will pay Rs 3.60 lakh as down payment in the housing scheme of the company to own a 3BHK flat.”Another employee, Mehul Asalaliya, an engineer said, “I opted for jewellery as I have a car and a house. This Diwali , I will gift jewellery to my wife.”Savji Kaka, as Dholakia is affectionately called in diamond circles, is a native of Dudhala village in Amreli district. He came to Surat in the late 1970s in search of a job without a penny in his pocket. He then went to his uncle and borrowed money to start off the diamond business on a small level. After years of struggle, he established Harikrishna Exports in 1992.“The average monthly earning of each of my artisan and engineer is Rs 1 lakh. There is one diamond artisan, who earns Rs 3.49 lakh per month. Artisans are the backbone of our industry and we have set an example by giving them highest wages in the industry,” said Dholakia.