Vijay Rupani lays foundation of modern fishing harbour in Gir Somnath

Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone, Rupani said that the proposed harbour would be a world-class facility for fishermen. “The government is committed to welfare of sagarkhedu (fishermen) of the state. Work is in progress for development of Veraval, Mangrol, Sutrapada and Modhwada harbours. Land allotted to GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) has been transferred to the fisheries department and clearances have been sought from environment department for further development,” he said.

Thanks to favourable policy environment created by the state government, fisheries production in the state had touched 8.58 lakh metric tonnes in the year 2019-20 and that fisheries products worth Rs5000 crore were exported, the CM added.

“More than 29,000 fishing boats are registered in the state. The government has increased subsidy on kerosene from Rs15 per litre to Rs 25 per litre for fishermen. We have also helped fishermen by giving them concession in other cess. We have also ensured repatriation of 7100 fishing boats seized by Pakistan,” an official release quoted the CM as having stated while addressing the public meeting.

Fisheries and Tourism Minister Jawahar Chavda said that the government was planning to make schemes like diesel and kerosene subsidy online and credit amount of subsidy directly into bank accounts of beneficiaries for speedier disposal of applications