CM enhances low interest loans to fisherwomen

MANGALORE: CM B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday said he will enhance the amount of low interest loans provided to fisherwomen to Rs 75,000. The CM, in last year's budget, had announced that fisherwomen would receive Rs 50,000 loan at 3% interest with the state government bearing the difference of 9.25%. He symbolically handed over a loan paper to one among the 2,400-odd beneficiary from DK district here on Saturday.
Replying to felicitations accorded to him by BJP Fishermen's Forum, he said fisherwomen have a good history of repayment of loans and providing them with additional funds aimed at financially empowering them made good sense."Utilize this money well and ensure that your children have a better and brighter future," he said, adding it would not be much of a problem to earmark additional funds to help women and socio-economically empower them.
The state government also is endeavouring to ensure that every fisherman in the state had own house in the next two years. He advised the forum to come to him with a scheme that would ensure that every single fisherman could reap the benefits of Matsyashraya Scheme. "I am ready to give necessary funds to ensure that this becomes a reality," Yeddyurappa said, adding that the fishermen community should justify the additional allocation for them.
Grants allocated to the fisheries sector has gone up three folds since the BJP government came to power, he said, adding it was Rs 130 crore in 2010-11. This is in tune with government policy to empower the weavers, farmers and the fishermen, he said, adding that a slew of schemes announced by him in successive budgets seek to achieve this very objective. Even the amount of relief for fishermen perishing in natural calamity has been enhanced to Rs 1 lakh, he said.
Ramachandar Baikampady, convener of the forum, thanking the CM for the largesse provided to the fishermen community urged Yeddyurappa to initiate action against fish meal and chemical industries that were mushrooming in the coastal districts. He also urged the CM to enter in to a pact with ISRO to usher in GPS-based fishing system in the state that has been successfully followed in Gujarat. Ministers V S Acharya, Krishna Palemar were present on this occasion.