Include us in savings scheme or face strike, threaten boat owners

There are more than 700 mechanised boats and around 15,000 fishermen in Rameswaram. Fishermen are paid daily. As fishermen do not have the habit of saving their income both state and central governments had initiated a scheme titled ‘Fishermen savings cum relief scheme’ to encourage the habit of savings among the community.

According to the scheme, fishermen had to deposit Rs 1,500 per year. 

The state and central governments would add their shares of Rs 1,500 each and give Rs 4,500 to the fishermen during November which is the lean period for fishing on most of the days there will be no fishing activity due to the northeast monsoon winds.

All the fishermen, including those who sell the fish, and the boat owners used to register under the scheme but according to the Government Order (GO) passed for the scheme, the boat owners should not be included under the scheme as most of the boat owners are financially doing well. 

However, the boat owners were included under the scheme till date. 

But recently when the count for giving fishermen boats for deep sea fishing was conducted. the boat owners were left out of the savings scheme. More than 400 boat owners were affected due to the decision of the Fisheries Department officials and so they had decided to launch an indefinite strike from Wednesday.

Speaking to DT NEXT, Sesu, president, Rameswaram Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association, said that the scheme is continued in other districts and boat owners are always covered under the scheme. Only in Rameswaram, the boat owners have been left out and therefore the fishermen had decided to observe the indefinite strike. Only when the boat owners are included the strike would be withdrawn, said Sesu.