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Elaborate plan to augment fishermen's income: Minister

Special Correspondent

Says youth will be trained in deep-sea fishing

Puducherry: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Thursday inaugurated a three-day ornamental fish exhibition at the Botanical Garden here.

Mr. Rangasamy went round the stalls and acquainted himself with various varieties and the methods that should be adopted in promoting ornamental fish culture.

Education and Fisheries Minister M O H F Shahjahan said the Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare was holding the exhibition on ornamental fish for the first time in collaboration with private promoters of aquarium.

He said elaborate and integrated plan was being finalised to increase the skills of fishermen in augmenting their income by raising the quantum of catches. Youth would also be trained in updated fishing technology and also in deep-sea fishing.

He said already some multinational organisations had expressed interest to set up sub-marine structures as part of development of tourism in Puducherry.

As part of the measures to raise the lot of the fishermen, the Administration had now decided to provide monthly pension even to those who had completed only 50 years although the minimum age criterion for eligibility to get the assistance was 60 years.

Ornamental fish kept in the aquarium of the department and also in the stalls of around 20 private units contain fish of different varieties.

Secretary to Fisheries department A.C. Verma said there was a plan to train for ten days the fisher women on ornamental fish keeping and breeding of the rare species in Pondicherry, Karaikal and Yanam regions. At the end of training they would take up avocation as an alternative source of livelihood during lean season.

The Department of Fisheries was supplying home aquaria with ornamental fish and toys, which involved 50 per cent subsidy limited to Rs 500 per applicant.

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