Kerala   

Project to develop coastal areas

KANNUR: Fisheries Minister S. Sarma has said that funds for implementing the State government’s Integrated Coastal Area Development Project (ICADP) for coastal villages will be mobilised from financial agencies and State and Central government’s allocations.

Mr. Sarma said at a press meet here on Friday that an estimated Rs.3,000 crore was required for implementing the project which envisaged providing housing, sanitation, drinking water and electricity among other things. He said that aim of the project was to address the backwardness of the coastal region and raise the living standards of fisherfolk.

As part of the project, the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Hyderabad, was asked to prepare a report for 222 villages in 102 local bodies in the State. In the initial phase, 27 fisheries villages of Kannur and Kasaragod were studied by the NIRD.

NIRD officials made a presentation of their draft findings and submitted a copy of the report for the two districts to the Minister.

Mr. Sarma said that the report unravelled the backwardness of coastal areas in the region. He said that the expected cost for the development of 11 fisheries villages in Kannur was Rs.103 crore, while it was Rs.139 crore in Kasaragod.

The expected share from different sources including local bodies was Rs.11 crore for Kannur and Rs.15.64 crore for Kasaragod.

The balance amount could be raised from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC), apart from budgetary support of the State government and various Central government schemes.

Mr. Sarma said that a district level committee with the District Collector as chairperson and the Deputy Director of Fisheries as convener would be constituted to co-ordinate the activities under the project in the two districts.

He also said that the foundation stone for the fishing net manufacturing unit here would be laid in a few months and that the factory would be commissioned in February.

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