CHENNAI: Minister for Fisheries, Fishermen Welfare and Animal Husbandry, Anitha R Radhakrishnan, announced a series of measures during a debate on grants for his department. One of the key announcements was that the existing one-year licence for fishing vessels would be extended to three years under the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Rules-2020 to address practical difficulties faced by fishing vessel owners.
Some of the important announcements are: solatium for the natural death of the fishermen will be increased to Rs 25,000 and daily relief to the families of missing fishermen would be increased to Rs 350 per day from Rs 250.
To protect the country-boat fishermen, a total of 10,000 life jackets, worth Rs 4.5 crore, will be provided to them with a 75 per cent subsidy, a small fishing harbour will be constructed at Samanthanpettai in Nagapattinam district at a cost of Rs 40 crore, additional infrastructure will be created in Kanniyakumari and Nagappattinam fishing hamlets at a cost of Rs 49 core, additional infrastructure work at various fishing harbours of Kanniyakumari district, Nagappattinam, Chengalpattu, Mayiladuthurai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi will be carried out at the cost of Rs 229 crore.
Besides, 12 new fish landing centres will be constructed at Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram, Cuddalore, Tiruvallur, Thiruvarur and Villupuram districts at a cost of `63 crore, and training to sail the fishing boats will be given to 500 fishermen through Central Institute of Fisheries Nautical & Engineering Training (CIFNET) at the cost of Rs 31 lakh.