Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy released ₹123.52 crore under the YSR Matsyakara Bharosa scheme at a public meeting held at Nizampatnam in Bapatla district on May 16 (Tuesday). As a part of the scheme, financial assistance of ₹10,000 is given to each fisherman family for the annual ban period on marine fishing from April 15 to June 14.
The amount was directly credited into the bank accounts of 1,23,519 beneficiaries across the State. Thousands of fishermen attended the public meeting and thanked the Chief Minister for releasing the benefits for the fifth consecutive year. With the amount released on Tuesday, the total assistance provided under the scheme has gone up to ₹538 crore, said Mr. Jagan Reddy.
“Each fisherman’s family has received a benefit of ₹50,000 under the scheme so far,” he said.
In addition to that, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy deposited ₹107.91 crore directly into the bank accounts of 23,458 fishermen’s families in Konaseema and Kakinada districts, who have lost their livelihood to the pipeline works of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). Mr. Jagan Reddy released a total of ₹231 crores into the accounts of beneficiaries on Tuesday.
“For the welfare of fishermen and to check migration, the State government is setting up 10 fishing harbours, six fish landing centres of global standards at a cost of ₹3,767 crore. The government has initiated the construction of four ports in the last four years with an expenditure of around ₹16,000 crore to create employment and promote exports at lower transportation cost,” said the Chief Minister.
He said that the AP Fisheries University was being set up in West Godavari district to produce skilled human resources. The government is providing subsidised power at ₹1.5 per unit for the benefit of aquaculture farmers. He said that the YSRCP government was providing a subsidy of ₹9 per litre of diesel to fishermen.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy also laid the foundation stone for Vodarevu Fishing Harbour. He announced that an Aqua Park would be set up in 280 acres at Dindi village near Nizampatnam at a cost of ₹185 crore. The government is constructing Nizampatnam Fishing Harbour with an estimated expenditure of ₹400 crore, he said.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy urged the people to compare the good governance being offered by the YSRCP with that by the TDP. “If anybody wishes to recollect as to what TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu had done for the welfare of people it would be difficult to identify even a single welfare scheme which was implemented by him during his 14-years tenure as the Chief Minister. Everybody remembers Mr. Naidu as a politician who cheated the people. As and when the elections are coming, Mr. Naidu starts speaking about the fishermen, SCs, STs, BCs and Minorities,” said the Chief Minister.
