Nineteen fishermen who were detained by Saudi Arabia in Ajman and were released last year received ₹2 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
Of the 19 fishermen, 15 hailed from Kanniyakumari district. The fishermen were under detention for nearly two and half years and had reached home in two batches on July 12 and 14 last year.
Immediately after reaching their villages, the family members of the fishermen led by Fr. Churchil, General Secretary, South Asian Fishermen Fraternity (SAFF) had submitted a petition to Collector Sajjansingh R. Chavan urging for financial assistance, as the families were reeling under poverty.
Based on their petition, the government extended financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each to the 19 fishermen from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The relief cheques were distributed to the fishermen during the weekly grievances day programme at the Collectorate by the Collector.
Apart from this, two fishermen of Chinnathurai were given assistance of ₹7,500 each, as their boats were burnt in a fire accident and another fishermen was given ₹2,500 for the loss of a boat in a similar accident.
Fr. Churchil, General Secretary of South Asian Fishermen Fraternity, M. Xavier Manoharan, Chairman, Tamilnadu Apex Fishermen Cooperative Federation, S. Elango, District Revenue Officer and others were present.
Talking to reporters, Fr. Churchil thanked the government for considering the appeal of SAFF and extending financial support for the fishermen released by Saudi authorities.
