Kerala - Kochi   

House panel holds sitting

Staff Reporter

Discusses fishermen welfare cess Bill

KOCHI: The Subject Committee of the Assembly for Kerala Fishermen and Employees in the Allied Sector Welfare Cess Bill held its first sitting in Kochi on Tuesday.

As the copies of the Bill were not available to those who took part in the discussion, the participants submitted their general views on the Bill.

Fisheries Minister S. Sarma, who chaired the session, suggested that the organisations and individuals could submit their views to the committee in writing before January 31. He also assured the participants that copies of the Bill would be made available.

Joseph Xavier Kalapurackal, secretary of the Kerala State Fishing Boat Operators Association, said that the cess should be collected from the fisheries exporters. Any move to tax the boat operators would be detrimental to the fishing industry, which was finding it tough to survive due to the low catch and increased fuel cost.

Some of the exporters were buying fish at lower price on the ground that they had to pay cess. At the same time, many of them also evaded paying the cess, he said.

K.J. Antony, secretary of the Matsya Thozhilali Union (CITU), said the Bill should be passed without any delay and the benefits made available to the fishermen. He also argued that cess should be collected from the exporters.

P.K. Sudhakaran, treasurer of the Akhila Kerala Dheevara Sabha, said that officials should be designated for the collection of cess and the amount thus collected should be deposited in separate accounts. He also demanded that pension to fishermen should be increased.

P. Raghuvaran of the Matsya Thozhilali Union (CITU) demanded that cess should also be collected from those who were importing fish.

A.I. Benny, secretary of the Indian Trawlers Association, said that no incentives were given to those who caught fish for export while all the incentives were given to the exporters.

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