Nearly 1.70 lakh fisherfolk denied aid during annual fishing ban in Andhra Pradesh, alleges JSP leader Nadendla Manohar

Are the number of people depending on marine fishing activity declining in the State, asks the JSP leader; each affected family is entitled to get ₹10,000 during the 61-day ban period

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.