The Rs 3,000-crore scheme of the state government to build homes for the fishermen across the state will immediately be implemented, said Excise Minister K Babu.
Speaking at the inauguration of the ‘Janasambarka’ programme at Thoppumpady on Saturday, he said thirty thousand fishermen in the state will benefit from the scheme.
A total of 800 homes will be built under the Fishing Village Model. Also, toilets will be constructed for 1,000 families in the state as per the scheme.
An amount of Rs 1,000 would be distributed to these families before Onam. Many schemes have been incorporated into the 12th Five-Year Plan for the uplift of the community.
Financial aid would be distributed directly to the beneficiaries through the banks, avoiding the involvement of the middle- men. The government plans to strengthen the current and proposed schemes of Matsyafed, the minister said.
In order to solve the problem of insufficient kerosene supply to small-scale fishermen, a study will be conducted on the approximate market demand for the commodity. A joint verification will also be conducted in this regard.
Currently, the Fisheries Department has registered an increased growth of 37 per cent, Babu noted.
MLA Hibi Eden, MLA Dominic Presentation, Mayor Tony Chammany, GCDA chairman N Venugopal, Matsyafed chairman V Dinakaran, MDS Ajayan, board member A B Mathew also spoke.