Puducherry govt launches helpline to assist fishermen

The Department of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare in Puducherry has launched a helpline to help fishermen contact the department to find solutions to their grievances.

Secretary to the department Purva Garg told newsmenThursday that fishermen could contact the helpline number(0413-2227289) to know details of various schemes availableto them, incentives and financial succour and welfare schemes.

Garg said the fishermen could also get details of thestatus of their applications for relief.

''We want to help fishermen who are the beneficiariesof various Central and territorial government sponsoredschemes,'' she said.

She further said transponders would be supplied tofishermen at subsidised rate which would help them pass oninformation to boat owners or to the department whenever theyfaced hardships during their fishing operations.

''The fishermen can contact the department or theirboat owners during cyclones or other critical situations,'' theSecretary said.

The cost of each transponder is Rs 15,000 and thegovernment would provide Rs 5,000 as subsidy.

Fishermen would have to incur only Rs 10,000 as theircontribution to get the transponder.

She also detailed various centrally sponsored schemesfor fishermen involving an investment of Rs 34.85 crore.PTICor SSPTI PTIPTI PTI