New Delhi: The manifesto of both BJP and Congress might have highlighted the issues of the fishermen community in the country, but, there are hardly a few takers of the manifesto of two major political parties as the communities have been facing several challenges.
Talking to ETV Bharat, X Joseph, chief executive of the South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies (SIFFS) said that they are not getting proper government benefits like the agriculture sector.
"A major problem is the impact of climate change and fishing holidays due to bad weather conditions are frequent phenomena. This is leading to loss of livelihoods and income for their survival. There is an insurance scheme for crop loss in agriculture but no scheme for fishermen to compensate for the loss of fishing days due to weather warnings," said Joseph.
He said that fishermen are now shifting to the use of petrol instead of kerosene for their marine engines and they are not getting subsidies for petrol.
"The cost of petrol is comparatively high and leads to further leakage in their income. The government should introduce a new scheme for subsidised petrol for fishing operations,” he said.
Joseph further said that the availability of easy and adequate credit for fishermen to suit their requirements is a major issue. "The institutional support is not enough to match their rising cost of fishing operations and inputs. The new government should seriously think of a separate fisheries bank for the fishing community by considering the nature of fisheries credit," he said.
According to Joseph, the employment of educated youth in the fishing community is a major issue and their last resort is to move to fishing operations when there are no other opportunities. This is also a case of disguised unemployment in fishing.
"The management of fisheries should be a major agenda of the government. The redundant labour force in the fishery should be given alternate employment for a sustainable fishery," he added.
Joseph said that the fish-vending women are facing difficulties in accessing adequate working capital from formal financial institutions. "These women are also forced to work under unhygienic conditions in the fish markets. The government should invest in developing standard infrastructure facilities in fish markets and there should be facilities for meeting their primary needs," he quipped.
As per government data, the fisheries sector is recognised as the 'Sunrise Sector' and the sector sustains the livelihoods of around 30 million people in India particularly that of the marginalised and vulnerable communities. With record fish production of 175.45 lakh tons in FY 2022-23, India is the third largest fish-producing country in the world accounting for 8 per cent of global production.
However, BJP in its manifesto promises to modernise fishing infrastructure, provide financial support, and facilitate skill development initiatives for the fisherman.
The BJP manifesto said, “We are committed to advancing the prosperity and welfare of our fishermen by enhancing fisheries through initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, modernising infrastructure, and providing financial support and skill development”.
The Congress manifesto also highlighted its strategy for the fisheries community. "We will restore the subsidy for diesel for sea-going fishing communities. We will also establish mechanisms with neighbouring countries to resolve the problems faced by fishing communities, to eliminate conflict, arrests, seizure of boats and loss of lives, and to improve livelihood opportunities for our fishing communities," the Congress manifesto said.
The party also said that fishing communities will be issued credit cards (like Kisan Credit Cards) by banks and extended credit. "Fishing communities will be enumerated in the caste census and given identity cards by the Central Government,” the Congress manifesto stated.
According to the latest Parliamentary Committee report, the fisheries sector contributes around 6.72 per cent to agriculture gross value added (GVA) and 1.24 to national GVA in 2021-22 and is a major employment generator in direct as well as allied fishery activities.
Recognising the untapped potential of the fisheries sector, the Parliamentary Committee has also recommended that a separate Research Council for the Fishery Sector namely the Indian Council for Fishery and Aquaculture Research under the Department of Fisheries be constituted as it would not only facilitate focused and in-depth research in the sector but also address the challenges faced by the sector.
