Former Lok Sabha member from Puducherry M. Ramadass on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create a separate ministry for fishery resources and fishermen welfare and appoint a separate minister with independent charge if not a cabinet minister.
In a letter to Modi, Ramadass said 15 million fishermen dwelling in 3,288 marine fishing villages in nine maritime states and four union territories and several other villages of inland waterways concentration contribute a great deal to the socio -economic development of India.
Their toil and moil in fishing has done proud to India to be the second largest producer of fish in the world. Undoubtedly, the fisheries sector has developed over the years but paradoxically enough, the fishermen who have extended a helping hand to India’ s growth trajectory, remain backward and poor leading a hand to mouth existence.
According to official statistics, 69 per cent of 15 million fishermen live below poverty line and dwell in insanitary conditions without basic amenities of life. The level of literacy and enlightenment of the community is low. In short, in many parts of the country their social and economic status is lower than that of Scheduled tribes, Ramadass said.
Their political representation in Parliament and assemblies is very meager as they are scattered in every constituency in such a manner that they do not form majority to win a seat on their own strength in any constituency.
A Community with a population of 15 million should proportionately get 10 to 15 representatives in Parliament but actually they rarely get an opportunity to enter into Parliament as political parties use them only as a vote Bank- the community has come to be a vote giver rather than a vote receiver .
The occupation of this community is also afflicted by multifaceted factors. The major problem is that the potential of fishery sector is not fully exploited or tapped. For instance, while the potential of marine production is 3.92 million tonnes, the actual output is only 2.92 million metric tonnes denoting a gap of about 25 per cent, Ramadass said. (UNI)
