The Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala has stated that the Kisan Credit Card Scheme may soon be extended to fishermen, giving fishing the same status as that of agriculture.
“The NDRF and SDRF compensation schemes for fisherfolk are quite regressive and are in dire need of changes. The current NDRF relief package offers a meager Rs. 2700 for damaged nets and Rs. 9800 for damage done to boats,” Union Minister Rupala stated as he concluded the third phase of the Sagar Parikrama on Tuesday at the Sasson Docks, in Mumbai.
Rupala was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar who highlighted the key role the industry plays in the nation’s economy and the contribution it has to the country’s export too.
Maharashtra’s minister of fisheries, Sudhir Mungantiwar, promised fresh subsidies and greater infrastructure for the fishing industry. He also highlighted how Maharashtra did not have any provisions in place for ensuring that fishing and the business related to it could be conducted with ease.
He also spoke about the need for preserving the biodiversity, stressing about how the Maharashtra government had been working to resolve the water pollution caused by sewage and industrial waste. Moreover, the government has also been working towards improving the infrastructure of the industry. In addition to that, the surveillance apparatus on fishing jetties is also a point of focus for the government in order to prevent attacks akin to the 26/11 blasts.
The minister also announced the plan for a “blue revolution” in order to improve and upgrade the infrastructure. This is will mainly focus on cold storage, drying, peeling, and packaging of the fishery products.
