Fishermen deprived of welfare schemes

Ongole: The fishermen in Prakasam district are demanding the district administration provide benefits from the government under various welfare schemes exclusively launched for them.

They are demanding the officials to start listing the beneficiaries in the district, while the fishermen from neighbouring districts are already enjoying the benefits.The government provides nets and other fishing gear to the fishermen under various schemes like Deep Sea Policy and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana(Yojana (RKVY). The officials select the beneficiaries based on the financial position of the fishermen’s family, skill set and other parameters.

The beneficiaries need to pay 25 to 50 per cent of the unit cost to the government prior to the distribution of the units.The fishermen from the district paid Rs 1 lakh for the nets under Deep Sea Policy and Rs 7,500 DD to the department six months ago as the 50 per cent contribution by the beneficiary.

M Jakraiah, president of the ‘Samudrateera Matsyakarmika Union of Prakasam Guntur and Nellore districts’ said, “The fishermen in the district paid lakhs of rupees to the government for the distribution of new nets under subsidy. Four months ago, about 275 fishermen paid Rs 27,410 as 50 per cent contribution for ‘Our Boat Motors Scheme’.

A few other fishermen have paid Rs 10,000 as 25 per cent contribution under RKVY scheme for tool kits, but no one received. R Chalapati Varma, general secretary of the union, said, “The officials are not caring about the fishermen’s welfare.

The fishermen in Nellore and Guntur districts received the nets, tools and motors long ago and they are way ahead in fishing in the sea than the fishermen from Prakasam district.”

The fishermen and their union leaders met District Collector Sujatha Sharma and explained about the negligence of the officials.
They urged her to direct the officials to provide tools, nets and other tools immediately after receiving the contribution from the fishermen.