The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Society for tribal fishermen

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 27, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Society for tribal fishermen

M. Gunasekaran

UDUMALPET: In an effort to provide alternative employment for tribals and to improve their livelihood, the Fisheries Department has issued orders to form the Amaravathi Nagar Tribal Fishermen Cooperative Society here.

The formation of the society will give the tribals the right for fishing in the Amaravathi Reservoir, 22 km from here. Fifty tribals who reside at Karattupathi settlement, close to the reservoir, have enrolled themselves as members of the society and eight of them have received licence for fishing. Thus, they will enjoy one-third share of their daily catch.

It was the Forest Department authorities here who initiated efforts a couple of years ago to form the society under the joint forest management programme. K.R. Varadharajan, wildlife warden of the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, inaugurated the society at Amaravathi Nagar on Monday. For the first time in the State such a cooperative society had been formed for tribals, and this alternative employment would reduce their dependency on forests, he said.

The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation (TNFDC) has appointed eight tribals as share fishermen of the reservoir. They could go for fishing in the reservoir along with the inland fishermen. They should handover their catch to the TNFDC and get the money for their share once in a fortnight.

Pollachi Sub-Collector Vijay Pingale issued the appointment letters to the fishermen, who are physically fit for fishing. He visited the settlement. He promised them all support from the Revenue Department.

Amal Xavier, regional deputy director of Fisheries Department, issued recognition certificate for the society. TNFDC manager J. Castro highlighted the benefits of the novel programme. V. Sundaramoorthy, deputy manager, TNFDC, said that a fisherman and his assistant (in most cases wife or a relative) could earn more than Rs. 2,000 a month through this arrangement.

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