Traditional fishermen, under the Dakshina Kannada District Gillnet and Traditional Boat Fishermen’s Association, protested here on Monday over the stoppage of subsidised kerosene.
The protestors said that the decision to halt supply of subsidised kerosene – which runs the outboard engines on their small boats – over the past two years had affected ‘thousands of fishermen’ in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts.
Last year the Union government directed State governments not to divert kerosene supply outside the Public Distribution System, in order to reduce its subsidy burden on the nation’s fiscal deficit. This has led to the supply for traditional fishermen being stopped.
“Fish catch is reducing every year. Fishermen, who compete with trawlers, need subsidised kerosene to earn a living. With the last two governments unable to fulfil the promise of subsidy, fishermen are being burdened with debt,” said Ali Hasan, president of the association.
He claimed that the Congress-led government had reneged on their pre-election assurance to provide subsidy.
The association said that representations to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, District in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai and Minister of State for Fisheries K. Abhayachandra Jain have been ignored.
