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More than 100 aqua hubs to be set up in Andhra Pradesh to aid fishing community amid Covid-19 surge
The chief minister said as many as 120 shops will be set up under each of hubs, which will be made accessible to the fishing community with the next two years.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday said that over 100 aqua hubs will be set up in the state to help the fishing community, including the aqua farmers, at a time when the second wave of the coronavirus disease is ravaging the country.
The chief minister said as many as 120 shops will be set up under each of hubs, which will be made accessible to the fishing community with the next two years. This will ensure a fair price for aqua products and also families selling fish.
”To ensure that our farmers do face further loss in their livelihoods we have invested ₹50 crore for integrated aqua labs across 35 constituencies. Farmers who are registered with Rythu Bharosa Kendras are being supplied with quality seeds, feed and related services,” informed the CM.
Families who have lost livelihoods due to Covid--19 are being taken care of under the YSR Matsyakara Bharosa Scheme. The scheme was launched on November 21, 2019, on the occasion of World Fisheries Day, to extend financial assistance to the fishermen for the annual ban on fishing by mechanised boats from April 15 to June 14
On Tuesday, the chief minister allocated ₹119.88 crore to aid 1,19,875 fishing families in the state.
“Despite challenges faced by us due to the Covid-19 pandemic our government allocated ₹120 crore for the poor and the needy in the state,” said the chief minister, adding that ₹10,000 proposed to be provided to the families will them ride out of the crisis that the pandemic has posed.
The chief minister said as many as ₹332 crore has given to families involved with fishing since the inception of the scheme.
