BENGALURU: Giving a boost to the fisheries department, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said an order has been passed to set up 2,000 fishing ponds across the state. This apart, a processing unit will be set up on 25 acres at Almatti in Vijayapura, to encourage inland fisheries.
Bommai said this at a function for renovation of the aquarium at Cubbon Park, organised by the Department of Fisheries and Inland Water Transport. Addressing the public, he said, “Based on the PPP model, a Singapore-type aquarium with a tunnel will be set up at Lalbagh and Cubbon Park government aquariums, and will be renovated to attract children.”
He said that inland fisheries has dwindled in the past ten years, and many varieties of fish and its seedlings are being supplied from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. “To give a boost to inland fisheries, the government will set up a processing unit on 25 acres of land in Vijayapura. We will look at tapping potential along the state’s 330km of coastline. In all, 100 boats have been sanctioned to Coastal Karnataka for marine fishing, and I am in talks with big processing units to set up their base here,” Bommai said.
The department’s total output was 1 million tonnes, and this time, a target of 1.25 million tonnes has been set. He said the government is contemplating capturing deep sea resource. The CM alao spoke about building 10,000 houses for the fisher community and ‘Vidhya Nidhi’ , a programme to give better education to their children. He advised the community to avail of benefits under Matsya Sampada Yojana, and stressed that Karnataka will formulate an employment policy and give financial assistance to those who provide employment.