New Delhi, Sept. 1 -- The Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has called on the Centre to announce urgent relief measures following the United States' decision to impose 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods-a step exporters warn is already impacting the USD 40 billion industry.

The penal duties, which took effect on August 27, have disrupted shipments to the US-India's largest market for diamonds-and raised concerns over slowing orders, mounting cancellations, and job losses in hubs like Surat, which processes nearly 90 percent of the world's diamonds and directly employs about 200,000 workers.

"If the concerns are not addressed within a quarter, the market will face deeper setbacks," GJEPC Executive Director Sabyasachi Ra...