Automated Translation:
Financial assistance to traditional fishermen for speedboats - Eknath Khadse in Legislative Assembly

Sakaal News Network

Mumbai, 11th: In order to sustain traditional fishing in the state, the Central Government will provide a longterm loan of up to one crore rupees at a nominal interest rate, said Dairy Development and Fisheries Minister Eknath Khadse in the Legislative Assembly on Friday (11th). An interesting suggestion in this regard was presented by Sharad Ranpise of the Congress.

There is a fish drought up to 12 nautical miles from the coast. Modern, advanced boats are needed to get further into the sea. Traditional fishermen cannot buy speedboats due to their precarious financial state. Ranpise and Bhai Jagtap of the Congress demanded that the state government should help.

In this regard, a meeting was held with the Union Agriculture Minister in Delhi two days ago. In the meeting, discussions were conducted about providing long term loans to fishermen at nominal interest rates to purchase speedboats costing up to one crore rupees.Due to large-scale fishing with purse seine nets, traditional fishermen are not getting any fish. Fish fry and spawn also get trapped in these nets. So it is banned, said Eknath Khadse, Fisheries Minister, Maharashtra

456 villages in the seven coastal districts of the state engage in fishing as an occupation.There are 973 centres in the state to offload fish, while there are 3,86,259 fishermen. Around 74,203 of them engage in traditional fishing. Due to large-scale fishing with purse seine nets, traditional fishermen do not catch fish. This often leads to conflict between them. Purse seine nets also trap fish fry and eggs. Therefore, Khadse also explained that purse seine nets have been banned.