“We didn’t believe that we will be given subsides, as we stopped bothering about them after making numerous attempts. All we know now is that we have failed to follow the procedures and to make constant efforts,” said Palleti Bapanna Dora, a young fisherman from Konapapapeta fishermen hamlet, 27 km north from the district headquarters.
He is one among the four fishermen from the hamlet who were given 40% subsidy for boat engines that cost ₹1.42 lakh each.
The assets were handed over to the beneficiaries during the recent round of Janmabhoomi-Maa Vooru programme.
A school dropout, Mr. Bapanna Dora settled down as a fisherman in his teenage and could own mechanised boats in the last 13 years. “We heard that the government is doling out subsidies for fishermen on a large scale, but the ground realities are quite contrary to what we are watching on the television,” said Mr. Dora, who got subsidy from the government for the first time.
“At the end of every cyclone, government announces ex gratia to fishermen whose boats got damaged. We promptly apply for the same, but our names do not appear in the list of beneficiaries,” alleged Kondela Ganga Raju (45) of the same locality. Owner of a mechanised boat, he too was among the beneficiaries of the subsidised engines.
“When the representatives of the Reliance Foundation approached us a couple of months ago, we were apprehensive to fill the forms, as we gave up our hopes on the subsidies. But, they proved us wrong,” said elated Arjilli Nageswara Rao (60), another boat owner.
Lack of knowledge
“Most of these fishermen are either uneducated or semi-educated. They don’t know how to fill in the required forms and documents to be attached. All we have done is bridging the gap between the Fisheries department and its stakeholders,” said Varahalu Cheepulla, project manager at the foundation.
“In the last two months, 396 fishermen families are able to avail government subsidies to the tune of ₹ 13.91 lakh and owned assets worth ₹ 30.11 lakh in East Godavari district.
“From our side, we have been sending them voice bulletins daily on potential fishing zones by making use of the information provided by the INCOIS,” explained Chittibabu Nagulapalli, senior manager at the foundation.
“Now, we are applying for the subsidised GPS devices and life jackets. We have also decided to apply for the oil subsidy through this proper channel,” said summed up Mr. Bapanna Dora.
