With just a few days left for the annual trawling ban to begin, fishermen’s organisations in Kozhikode district are eagerly waiting for a better relief package from the State government amid the pandemic crisis. They are demanding a direct financial assistance scheme either in the form of one-time allowance or short-term credit by reworking the existing relief system that focuses only on the distribution of rice.
At a recent district-level review meeting, they had taken up the demand with the district administration and the Fisheries Department authorities, stating that the supply of rice alone would not help underprivileged families which were struggling to cope with the “new normal” after the outbreak of COVID-19. Many were in need of better medical support and financial assistance to facilitate the education of their children, they had said.
“Only a nominal amount of ₹1,500 from the department’s saving-cum-relief scheme reaches the fishermen’s families as aid during the lean period. The sum will not be sufficient to buy even stationery articles for a school-going child,” said Abdul Razak, a member of the Matsya Thozhilali Federation. He said the relief package should take into consideration the challenges of the pandemic situation and the steep fall in fishermen’s daily income.
The majority of those campaigning for the revised compensation package are fishermen who recently faced huge losses following sea erosion along the Vadakara and Kozhikode coast. With the loss estimate preparation getting delayed in various villages, many of them have lost hope about being able to claim eligible government aid to rebuild their damaged houses.
The stance of the Fisheries Department that it will not deal with any complaints related to the damage of fishermen’s houses in natural calamities has added to the woes of many local self-governments which are running short of funds to extend interim aid for the struggling groups. Only fishermen whose boats or other fishing equipment were destroyed in natural calamities will be able to claim assistance from the department.
“Usually, the relief aid during the 52-day trawling ban period reaches only the members of the government’s fishermen’s welfare fund board. This discrimination should end and allied workers should also be considered for the aid,” said Karichal Preman, vice president of All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators’ Association. Any aid that was less than ₹10,000 for a family would be worthless during the pandemic period, he added.
