Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced a scheme for giving loans up to Rs 1 crore to small and marginal fishermen for buying modern boats so that they can venture into the deep sea for a better catch.
“We are bringing a scheme for poor fishermen, who cannot go deep into the sea due to the small boats they own and cannot catch enough fish,” he said at a public meeting at Diu in the Union Territory of Daman and Diu.
“Under the scheme, the draft of which is almost ready and which will be implemented all over the country, we will ask poor fishermen to form a group in their villages. The group will be given a loan up to Rs 1 crore under the MUDRA scheme. The Centre will contribute 50 per cent of funds,” Modi said.
“They (group) will be given big fishing boats which can go beyond 12 nautical miles, where catch is available in large numbers. Small fishermen, instead of fishing alone, can be part of such groups and share profits,” he said.
The Prime Minister said people having suggestions to improve the scheme could convey them to the administration of Daman and Diu.
“We have taken various steps to develop the coastal region of the country. We have started the Sagarmala project under which we will invest Rs 8 lakh crore,” Modi said.
Visiting the coastal district on the International Women’s day, the Prime Minister said he was glad that Diu did not have a skewed sex-ratio like elsewhere in India.
