Centre requested to enhance subsistence allowance for fishermen during fishing ban period

Pittala Ravinder, Chairman of Telangana State Fishermen Cooperative Federation, urged Union Fisheries Minister Parshottam Rupala to double the subsistence allowance for fishermen during the 45-day fishing ban from Rs 4,500 to Rs 9,000 per fisherman.

Hyderabad: Telangana State Fishermen Cooperative Federation chairman Pittala Ravinder on Friday urged union Fisheries Minister Parshottam Rupala to enhance the subsistence allowance for during the 45-day nation-wide fishing ban from the current Rs 4,500 to Rs 9,000 per fisherman. He also requested for the establishment of a regional unit of the Center for Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) in Hyderabad, to conduct research on surface water resources, with the State government’s support.

Ravinder called upon union Fisheries Minister Parshottam Rupala and gave him a representation urging to provide necessary assistance to the State government in advancing fisheries development in Telangana, during the latter’s two-day visit to Hyderabad here. The discussion centered around the PMMSY Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme, overseen by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB).

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The Federation chairman urged the union Minister to allocate at least 50 per cent of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), for welfare of traditional fishermen. He also requested that the State-level fishermen federations be directly involved in selecting the PMMSY beneficiaries and recommending applications. He sought a 60 per cent subsidy to be provided to selected fisheries cooperative societies and their members under the scheme.

He called for the construction of retail fish markets across the entire State, with 100 per cent subsidy funding to boost fish consumption in Telangana. He sought the Centre’s financial assistance to replace traditional rafts and putties with solar-powered motorboats for fishermen operating in Telangana’s reservoirs. He also appealed for the formulation and implementation of a special regulatory law to protect fishermen engaged in surface water resource occupations nation-wide while promoting comprehensive fisheries sector development.