Fish workers to launch State-wide agitation Date:01/05/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/05/01/stories/2009050158570300.htm
Special Correspondent Call to implement loan waiver package ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- Accuses Centre of going back on pre-poll promise Secretariat dharna planned on May 25 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) is gearing up for a State-wide agitation against the government for the failure to implement the loan waiver package for fish workers in the State. Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, KSMTF State president T. Peter and district secretary Anto Elias said fish workers across the State had been let down by the Centre’s move to exclude them from the agriculture loan waiver package. They said it would be a heavy blow for the fishing community which is already struggling under the impact of depleting fish stocks and rising input costs. “Many of us will be forced to beach the boats that were purchased with loans from banks and private financial institutions. The rising cost of diesel and kerosene adds to our burden,” Mr. Peter said. He alleged that the Union government had gone back on its pre-election commitment to waive the loans of fish workers. “The State government’s loan waiver scheme also could not taken off beyond the constitution of a committee,” he said. The federation said traditional fishermen were the worst affected by the depletion of fish stocks due to the operation of foreign fishing vessels. March planned Fish workers will take out a march to the office of the Accountant General here on May 11 demanding steps to waive their loans. On May 25, they would stage a dharna before the Government Secretariat. In the third phase of the stir, a KSMTF delegation would submit a memorandum to the newly installed government in New Delhi, highlighting their demands. By Express News Service 01 May 2009 10:06:00 AM IST Fishermen to launch agitation THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Fishermen under the banner of the Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation will launch an agitation in protest against the exclusion of fishermen in the State from the package announced by the Centre to write off agricultural loans. Addressing a news conference here on Thursday, Federation state president T.Peter said that the package would have been a relief to the fishermen who had been facing misery following a decline in the catch. He said that the fishermen were forced to keep their vessels idle owing to the shortage of fish in the sea. The foreign trawlers are using special nets to catch fish in large quantities from the sea. The traditional fishermen are finding it difficult to eke out a living in the current circumstances. They do not get the catch even to meet the expense of diesel and kerosene required for operating the boats. Peter said that Union Minister Sharad Pawar had gone back on the assurance to write off the loans of fishermen after the polling in the State. Peter said that the State Government’s fishermen’s debt relief scheme also had not been implemented so far. No action, except constituting a committee to implement the project, had been taken so far. The Federation would launch an agitation seeking to write off the debts of fishermen from May 11. The workers take out a march to the AG’s Office here on May 11. A Secretariat dharna will be held on May 25. A delegation will go to New Delhi in the first week of June and would submit a memorandum to the Centre, Peter said. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
