Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister for Fisheries Purushotham Rupala popping out after flagging off the deep sea fishing boats on the Neendakara port wharf in Kollam on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: C. Sureshkumar
Fisheries, the most important conventional sector in Kerala, has been going through a number of challenges that embrace local weather change and the depletion of marine assets, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has mentioned.
Inaugurating the distribution of deep-sea fishing vessels to fishermen cooperative societies right here on Thursday, he added that the federal government couldn’t forsake the fishers when a disaster arose. “The aim of the project is to equip traditional fishers to undertake deep-sea fishing. We need to transform the sector in tune with the current times and this project is a step towards it,” mentioned Mr. Vijayan.
Joint undertaking
Jointly applied by the Centre and the State underneath the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), the price of every unit was estimated at ₹1.2 crore that included 24% Central share, 16% State share and 60% beneficiary share. “Though ₹1.2 crore was the initial estimate for each unit, extra facilities were installed as per the recommendations of the beneficiary groups. This made the cost ₹1.57 crore a unit and when the fishers said they couldn’t afford the additional expense, the State government provided that amount. Now the State government’s share in the project is 31%. Our policy has always been to lend fishers a helping hand and this intervention is an example of the government’s concern,” mentioned the Chief Minister, who additionally lauded the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. for constructing the vessels for the undertaking.
Safety tools
Mr. Vijayan added that the State authorities was eager on offering trendy security and navigation tools to all fishing vessels, together with conventional craft. “The government is trying to replace plywood boats with fibre-reinforced ones and permission has been granted to distribute 400 such boats. We have also taken steps to upgrade the marketing and distribution networks.”
He mentioned that sea cage farming can be began within the State in affiliation with Norway, a rustic far forward in marine expertise. “Fish with high market value will be farmed with the help modern technology, including AI. Fisheries sector plays an important role in our economy and its survival and growth is very important to the State,” he mentioned.
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala was the chief visitor on the event.
