TIRUCHY: Soon, the fishermen will be given credit cards similar to the Kisan card scheme, Union Minister for Fisheries Parshottan Rupala said Saturday. The minister, who met with the fishermen community in Thanjavur district, said steps are being initiated to increase the fishing ban period monetary assistance from Rs 5,000 to 10,000.

The union minister along with minister L Murugan visited the fishermen in the region and received their grievance petitions as part of the Sagar Parikrama programme.

“Until Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed the office, a fund of only Rs 3,700 was allocated for the fisheries department. But now, a fund of Rs 36,000 crore has been sanctioned for the department and it has been spent for as many as 13 schemes undertaken by the department,” Rupala said.

“The government has been supporting the fishermen to undertake seaweed farming, ornamental fish breeding and various other allied works and the fishermen should make use of these opportunities to enhance their income,” the BJP minister said.

The minister added that the union government has been executing a scheme worth Rs 20 lakh crore for the deep sea fishermen belonging to Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts.

“As per the demands from the fishermen, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi established an exclusive Fisheries Ministry and a fund of Rs 5,000 crore was allocated in 2015 for the blue revolution programme and infrastructure facilities worth Rs 7,500 crore has been brought out. Apart from this, a fund of Rs 38,500 crore has been sanctioned for the past nine years under the Pradan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana,’’ Murugan said.