Jana Sena Party (JSP) Political Affairs Committee (PAC) chairman Nadendla Manohar on Friday alleged that the State government denied financial assistance to nearly 1.70 lakh fisherfolk who were being affected by the ongoing annual fishing ban in the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh.
Each family affected by the 61-day ban was entitled to get ₹10,000 during the period.
Earlier in the day, the JSP took out a padayatra along the Kakinada coast as part of the its campaign called, ‘Matsyakarulaku Basataga Jana Sena’, from Jagannadhapuram to Etimoga.
Addressing a gathering of the fisherfolk here, Mr. Manohar questioned whether the number of fisherfolk engaged in marine fishing was declining in the State.
“There are a total of 2.50 lakh fisherfolk in the State who are affected by the ban. Two years ago, the State government had offered aid to only 1.30 lakh fisherfolk. The previous year, the number was further reduced to 1.05 lakh. This year, the State government has declared that the number of fisherfolk eligible to get aid is only 80,000. Where have the fisherfolk gone? Are the number of people depending on marine fishing activity on the decline?” Mr. Manohar wondered.
The JSP leader said that many of those who had been rejected the assistance were the crew working on the mechanised boats.
“Four years have passed since Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power. Ports guarantee livelihood for the fisherfolk, but not a single fish landing facility has been built since 2019,” he observed.
On the proposed sea ports, Mr. Manohar said that Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy was in a hurry to lay foundation stones for the ports and change the names of the proposed ports in the run-up to the 2024 elections.
Mr. Manohar said that the fuel outlets, which once supplied diesel on subsidy for the fisherfolk, had been shut down, leading to a steep rise in the cost for small-scale fisheries.
On conclusion of the padayatra, the JSP leaders, who included Kandula Durgesh, Pantam Nanji, Mutta Sashidhar, and Bodapati Sivadath, submitted a memorandum to the Fisheries Department officials to carry out a fresh survey and cover every eligible family for the financial aid.
