Kochi: Fisherfolk Family Register (FFR), a databank with details of all registered fishermen and their families in the state, has been released here on Friday by minister for fisheries J. Mercykutty Amma.
The government decided to collect data of fisherfolk including details of their families after cyclone Ockhi when the authorities failed to assess the exact number of fishermen who were at sea during the disaster.
Along with the FFR, the website of Fisheries Information Management System (FIMS), prepared by National Informatics Centre has also been launched.
The FFR and the FIMS will help implement various welfare schemes in a more transparent way and it will also ensure that the benefits of welfare schemes are reaching the right beneficiaries.
The minister said the government is committed to protecting the employment opportunities in fishing sector. “The government is implementing various projects to improve the living standards of fisherfolk. All fishing vessels and boatyards have to be registered to avoid exploitation,” she said. According to the minister, the detailed data collection for FFR will help eliminate undeserving persons from the beneficiary list of welfare schemes.
The minister also distributed financial assistance for house construction and medical treatment for fisherfolk. Fisheries director S Venkatesapathy, S. Sarma, MLA, and CMFRI director Dr. A Gopalakrishnan also attended.
