India protests Pak, Lanka attacks on Indian fishermen |
India has lodged strong protests with Pakistan and Sri Lanka over incidences of Indian fishing boats being attacked by their maritime agencies. Indian Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala, told Parliament that incidents of Indian fishing boats being attacked have been reported. India attaches highest priority to the safety and security of Indian fishermen. Rupala said the government has lodged its strong protests in all instances. India continues to reiterate to these governments to consider the issue of fishermen as a humanitarian and livelihood matter. To effectively address the issues relating to Indian fishermen, their safety and security between India and Sri Lanka, over the years, bilateral Joint Working Group (JWG) mechanism and meeting of the Honourable Ministers of Fisheries of India and Sri Lanka have been institutionalized. The last round of the JWG was held in December 2020, wherein both governments discussed the entire gamut of issues related to fishermen. The Minister said the government is providing assistance to the fisherman under its schemes. India is implementing a flagship scheme namely “Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) with an investment of US$ 2.67 billion for a period of five years with effect from the financial year 2020-21 to 2024-25 in all States and Union Territories. Financial support is provided to fishermen for communication/ tracking and Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) devices, safety kits besides livelihood and nutritional supports as well as insurance.
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