Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that the ‘YSR Matsyakara Bharosa’ scheme is aimed at providing succour to the families of fishermen during the annual fishing ban.
On Tuesday, the Chief Minister credited ₹119.88 crore directly into the bank accounts of 1.19 lakh fishermen (at the rate of ₹10,000 each).
“The amount will be of help to the families of fishermen dependent on the sea. On the one hand, COVID-19 has made life miserable and, on the other, the ban is making survival difficult for them. I am happy as the coverage is now extended to more fishermen. So far, we have credited ₹332 crore into the accounts of the beneficiaries,” he said.
Stating that every welfare scheme was designed to bring smiles on the faces of women, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said schemes such as ‘Amma Vodi’, ‘Goru Mudda’, ‘Rythu Bharosa’, ‘Cheyutha’, and pensions were rolled out to empower women.
Subsidy on fuel
The previous government was reluctant to give fishermen a mere ₹4,000 and extend a subsidy of ₹6 per litre on diesel, he said.
“Now, the government is giving a subsidy of ₹9 per litre and the scheme covers 26,823 boats and 100 fuel stations. The government has provided smart cards to transfer the subsidy to the fuel station owners by spending another ₹48 crore,” he added.
“The government is also paying ex gratia to the kin of those who die during fishing. An amount of ₹6.7 crore has been disbursed to 67 fishermen families,” the Chief Minister said.
For aqua farmers
The government was supplying power at a subsidised rate of ₹1.50 per unit for the benefit of 53,550 aqua farmers, he said, and added that it entailed an expenditure of ₹780 crore.
“The government has also set up 35 integrated aqua labs at a cost of ₹50.30 crore with the aim of providing the aqua farmers all assistance, from seed to feed. We are integrating the labs with the Rythu Bharosa Kendras,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
To provide sustainable livelihood to the fishermen, he said the government had begun commissioning eight fishing harbours. In the first phase, fishing harbours would be set up at Nizampatnam (Guntur), Machilipatnam (Krishna), Uppada (Godavari), and Juvvaladinna (Nellore) at a cost of ₹1,509.8 crore.
In the second phase, the harbours would come up at Budugatlapalem (Srikakulam), Pudimadaka (Visakhapatnam), Biyyaputippa (West Godavari), and Kothapatnam (Prakasam).
“These fishing harbours will be game changers and ensure sustainable livelihood for the fishermen,” he said.
The government was also keen on setting 100 aqua hubs with retail shops enabling fishermen to sell directly their produce, he said. A fisheries university would be set up in West Godavari district, he added.
Further, an amount of ₹75 crore was paid to 14,927 families in Mummadivaram constituency in East Godavari district as they lost their livelihood due to digging by the ONGC.
Minister for Fisheries S. Appala Raju spoke. MP M. Venkata Ramana Rao, Chief Secretary Adityanath Das, Special Chief Secretary (Agriculture) Poonam Malakondaiah, and Adviser Ambati Krishna Reddy were present.
