KAKINADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Friday that the government would set up 70 aqua hubs and 14,000 retail fish outlets at a cost of Rs 3,300 crore. This would provide employment to 80,000 people, he said.
The chief minister said the government is keen on developing the fisheries sector and improving the livelihood conditions of fishermen and allied sectors.
Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated the Matsyakara Bharosa programme at Muramalla village of Konaseema district on Friday. He credited an amount of Rs 109 crore to 1.08 lakh fisherfolk, by way of an assistance to them during the conservation period.
The CM also credited an amount of Rs 46,000 each for four months to 23,456 fishermen families in 69 villages, whose livelihood was affected due to ONGC’s drilling operations.
Addressing the gathering, Jagan Mohan Reddy said the YSRC government was taking many steps for the welfare of the fishermen community. The diesel subsidy for them has been increased to Rs 9 per litre from Rs 6 during the Telugu Desam term.
This apart, for fishermen who die of mishaps during their activities in the sea, the compensation has been increased to Rs 10 lakh. To provide marketing facilities and prevent their migrations to the other states, nine fishing harbours and four fish-landing centres are being set up in the state, which will be of international standards.
He said the works on some of these harbours are on and some of them are in tender process. Former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu did not take care of the fishermen’s welfare, the CM said, adding, “He remembered the fishermen and the toiling masses in other sectors only during the elections.”
Jagan Mohan Reddy said he felt the election manifesto is like the Bhagavad Gita, the Holy Quran and the Holy Bible. After assuming power in 2019, the YSRC government worked hard and fulfilled 95 per cent of the promises it had made to the people, the CM said.
He called upon the people to notice the difference between the YSRC government and the previous TD government. “While the Telugu Desam government gave only Rs 104 crore as compensation to fishermen during conservation period all through its five-year term, the present YSR government is giving Rs 109 crore a year. A total of Rs 419 crore has been given to the fisherfolk in the past three years.”
The CM also lambasted the Telugu Desam and the Jana Sena as also three media houses, by naming the, and saying they formed into the ‘Dustha Chatustayam’ (the evil quartet).
He termed Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan as “Datha Putrudu’’ (adopted political son) of Chandrababu Naidu. He also had a dig at Lokesh, the son of Chandrababu Naidu. He said all these evils were rendering support to the “accused”, the men who have leaked the Class X SSC examination papers and those who had done irregularities in ESI hospitals (Atchannaidu).
“These evil forces are carrying out a vicious propaganda against my government - your government - the people’s government,’’ the CM said.
He said that if the “Evil quartet and also the adopted political son are suffering from (mental) diseases, he would like to give them treatment under the Aarogyasri scheme. But, they are suffering from jealousy and are unable to digest the success of the YSRC government. So, God would give the answers to them,’’ he said.
Ministers Jogi Ramesh, Vishwaroop, Srinivasa Venugopalakrishna and district collector Himanshu Shukla were among those present.
Jagan Mohan Reddy said that Naidu has represented Kuppam constituency for the past 27 years, but he could not construct even a house there. But, now unable to see the progress achieved under the present YSRC government, Mr Chandrababu Naidu is constructing a house at Kuppam. He said that the `though the ``evil quartet’’ have eyes to see the progress achieved by the YSRC government they choose to remain blind. He said that the evil quartet is making hindrances with court litigations to the government which wants to do good to the people and they are trying to prevent the development of the state.
