Pramod Madhwaraj inaugurates Udupi Matsya Mela-2017
Pics by Prasanna Kodavoor, Team Mangalorean
Udupi: The three-day long ‘Udupi Matsya Mela-2017′ organised by the state fisheries department and Malpe development board jointly at the Malpe Beach here on Friday, March 3.
Pramod Madhwaraj minister for state fisheries, sports and youth service inaugurated the ‘Matsya Mela-2017′ by releasing fishes into the Aquarium.
In his inaugural message, Pramod Madhwaraj said that the Siddaramaiah led congress government was committed to the welfare of the Fishermen community. Karnataka is the only state in the country that offers the highest subsidy to diesel used by mechanised fishing boats.
Karnataka has 3,600 boats and the government provides a subsidy of Rs 125.52 crore. The maximum quantity of diesel eligible for subsidy in a year in Karnataka is 90,000 liters. In Maharashtra, which has 10,000 boats only Rs 100 crore subsidy is given for 45,000 liters of diesel in a year. The diesel subsidy amount would be transferred directly into the bank account of mechanised boat users. The subsidy amount has been increased from Rs 7 to Rs 9.40 per liter, he added. A total of Rs 100 Crore and an additional fund of Rs 20 Crore for diesel subsidy, altogether Rs 120 Crores had been released by the state government for the first time in the history of Karnataka. Youth who have applied for feasibility report before November 21, 2016, have being given the reports.
The Earlier Government was giving Rupees One Lakh compensation to victims of boat accidents. After the Congress government came to power on my request the earlier fisheries minister Abhayachandra Jain had increased it to Rupees Two Lakhs. When I visited Karwar to meet the boat accident victims family, after becoming the fisheries minister I have decided to increase the compensation amount to Rs 5 lakh. A sum of Rs 196 crore proposals has been sent to the union government to develop the Kulai fishing harbour project in Mangaluru, he added.
An exhibition and demonstration on the development of fisheries and fishing activities in the district will be held. A variety of dishes made from fish and stalls on the research and academic activities in the field of fish industries, sand art expo, aquarium preparation and cultural programmes were the attractions of the mela.
Meenakshi Bannanje, President of Udupi City Municipal Council, Sandhya Tilakraj, Vice-President, Nalini Pradeep Rao president Taluk Panchayat, Ramesh Kanchan, Sathish Ameen Padukre, Narayan Kunder, Genesh Nergi and others were present.
