Palghar: The third phase of Sagar Parikrama, aimed at raising awareness about fishermen’s issues, began from Hazira Port in Surat on Feb 19.
In northern Maharashtra, the parikrama will cover the coastal areas of Satpati, Pachu Bandar in Vasai, Versova and Sassoon Dock. The three-day event will culminate at Sassoon Dock today (Feb 21).
On Monday, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala visited Satpati and met fishermen from Palghar and Dahanu, assuring them that the draft of the Indian Marine Fisheries Bill, 2021, will be incorporated with amendments.
Former Governor of UP Ram Naik, State Minister for Forests, Cultural Affairs and Fisheries Sudhir Mungantiwar, MP Rajendra Gavit, MLAs Manisha Chaudhari and Srinivas Vanga were also present during the meeting.
Rupala said the draft Indian Marine Fisheries Bill has received suggestions from MPs and representatives of fishermen’s societies. Assuring amendment, he assured additional funds of Rs200 crore for Satpati fort, which has faced multiple issues, including silt deposition in the navigation channel in its creek.
₹32,000 crore allocated to fisheries in last 2 years
Rupala said efforts are underway for the release of Indian fishermen who have been arrested by Pakistan. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had created a new ministry for fisheries and allocated an amount of ₹32,000 crore in the last two years, whereas the allocation was only ₹3,680 crores from independence until 2014. He also urged the fishermen to take advantage of various government schemes.
The minister said Sagar Parikrama is a platform to establish direct communication with all stakeholders, including fishermen.
The parikrama, he said, focuses on sustainable balance between the utilisation of marine fisheries resources for food security of the nation and the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities. It also seeks to protect marine ecosystems and to bridge the gaps between various communities.
