Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh today said the government has taken several measures for the welfare of farmers in the last ten years. He said these steps helped in the growth of fish production in the country and improved fishermen’s income. The Minister was replying to calling attention to the hardship faced by the fishing community in the Lok Sabha today.
Mr Singh said, the country is ranked second in terms of fish production now. Highlighting the measures taken by the government for the growth of the fisheries sector, the Union Minister said the Narendra Modi government has created the separate Department of Fisheries and worked to promote blue revolution in the country. He said that Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana was launched for the inclusive development of the fisheries sector. He added that the centre has created the Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund to boost the fisheries’ infrastructure in the country. The Minister informed the House that fish production has witnessed tremendous growth, reaching to 184 lakh metric tonnes from over 95 lakh metric tonnes in 2013-14.
Earlier initiating the discussion, Congress MP KC Venugopal pointed towards the low income of the fishermen community. Another party MP, Shashi Tharoor, said that fishermen in Kerala are continuously demanding fishing harbours. TR Baalu of DMK raised the arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan authorities.