Allocate Rs 125 cr, demand Fishermen Associations
MBNR leaders of Telangana Mudiraj Mahasabha submit key demands to minister Vakiti
Mahabubnagar: Leaders of the Telangana Mudiraj Mahasabha from Mahabubnagar submitted a memorandum to Sports and Animal Husbandry Minister Vakiti Srihari, demanding fair budgetary allocations and immediate support for fishermen’s welfare. The leaders demanded Rs 125 crore be allocated this year to ensure sustainable fishing operations.
Acting on the directions of Deputy Speaker and State President Banda Prakash, the delegation led by State Working President Gurrala Mallesh and Vice Presidents Pedda Vijay Kumar and Mettukadi Prabhakar Mudiraj raised several pressing issues concerning the fishing community.
They stated that the budget allocation of Rs 19.25 crore is grossly inadequate to meet the needs of primary fisheries cooperative societies, compared to Rs 102.81 crore allocated by the previous government.
With the early arrival of monsoons, the leaders urged the government to immediately release funds for the supply of free fish seedlings and deposit the same directly into the accounts of the societies to facilitate timely distribution.
They also criticised the government’s delay in conducting elections for 1,025 registered fisheries cooperative societies, despite repeated appeals and a directive from the Telangana High Court.
They emphasized that the lack of elected bodies is affecting the democratic functioning of these societies.
Of the 33 district-level cooperative societies, only 12 have completed elections, and the leaders sought immediate federation membership for these elected bodies.
They also demanded the clearance of nearly Rs 70 crore in dues to fishermen for fish seed distribution during 2023–24.
Other key demands included implementation of the Kamareddy Declaration to secure rights over local water bodies, Rs 10 lakh group insurance without conditions, construction of permanent fish markets, geo-tagging of water bodies, and monthly pensions of Rs 6,000 for elderly fishermen.
They urged both the state and central governments to address these long-pending issues for the betterment of the fishing community.
