Former fisheries Minister Pramod Madhwaraj on Thursday alleged that the BJP that came to power in the State and at the Centre with the help of fishermen has ignored the community when it was hit hard by COVID-19.
Notwithstanding whether the sops announced by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday would reach the targeted group, it was painful that a large proportion of vulnerable sections in society, including the fishermen, have been ignored, he said. Marine fishing has been the backbone of the three coastal districts and its woes have only amplified after the lockdown.
‘No subsidy’
Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Madhwaraj said fishermen have not received diesel subsidy since six months while it was K. Abhayachandra Jain, who as the fisheries Minister in the Siddaramaiah government had facilitated direct benefit transfer of subsidy. The COVID-19 restrictions have only amplified their woes, he said. The BJP had emotionally used the community to come to power. The governments instead have brought fishing gears under GST, he regretted.
Ancillary industries depending upon marine fishing too was in distress with non-availability of raw material and bringing many products under the GST. Export subsidies too had been removed thereby affecting frozen fish industries, fish mills and others, he said.
The situation of inland fishing sector and inland fishermen too was no different and in fact, poor fishermen were more affected compared to marine fishermen. The Congress government’s efforts to allocate the right of fishing in inland reservoirs to fishermen community was stalled through a court stay and the present government did not make any efforts to get the stay vacated, Mr. Madhwaraj said.
Loan waiver
Though the BJP government recently waived loans taken by fisherwomen, the benefit did not reach many. The rule that those availed loan waiver facility could not avail fresh loans was condemnable, he said.
The Congress urges the government to rush to the rescue of fishermen by extending the loan repayment period by six months, immediately releasing subsidy, and offering them a package, he demanded.
Mr. Jain, DK Youth Congress president Mithun Rai and others were present.
