KANNIYAKUMARI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday assured that special relief assistance for fishermen will be raised to Rs 12,000 per month and the lean period assistance to Rs 9,000 per month as part of DMK’s poll promises for the upcoming election.

The CM, recalling that his government had increased the fishing ban period special relief assistance to Rs 8,000 from Rs 5,000, said, “Hereafter, the assistance will be Rs 12,000 per month and not Rs 8,000. Similarly, the fishing lean period assistance will be Rs 9,000 per month and not Rs 6,000. Are you all happy?”

Referring to other ongoing welfare schemes, he made new assurances. The upper age limit to enrol as a member of the Fishermen Welfare Board will be enhanced to 70 from 65, and members between 70 and 75 will be provided a monthly pension in addition to the existing welfare measures.

“However, the BJP-led union government, which holds the foreign policy in its hands, has failed to protect our fishermen. It has also failed in foreign policy. Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has created a situation where India has no influence even over its small neighbouring countries,” Stalin alleged.

It was regrettable that the BJP government does not regard

CM Stalin promised that fishing ban period assistance would be hiked to Rs 12,000 per month from Rs 9,000

Tamil Nadu fishermen as Indian fishermen and the consequence of this was the continuous attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy on fishermen, he claimed. When fishermen were attacked during the Congress regime at the Centre, Modi accused the then PM Manmohan Singh of being “weak” and said such incidents would not have happened if a strong PM were at the helm.