Panaji: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant announced allocation of Rs 73 crore for the fisheries department, including Rs 49 crore for revenue expenditure and Rs 24 crore for capital expenditure.To improve sea surveillance, monitoring, and enforcement, the govt plans to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) at an estimated cost of Rs 1.3 crore. Under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, the state will develop two climate-resilient coastal fishermen villages with an investment of Rs 4.1 crore.With support from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, a modern integrated village will be developed at Mandrem, while a modern community post-harvest facility will be set up at Palolem, with a provision of Rs 20.62 crore.“Earlier, the CM called us and asked for inputs; however, now, ever since our VAT reimbursement was stopped and we demanded that the subsidy be brought back into force, we are no longer being entertained. This is one of our main requirements, especially since the fishing industry is dying in Goa,” said president of All Goa Purse-siene Boat Owners Association.To promote advanced aquaculture technologies and export-oriented breeding, and to support the Blue Economy, the Brackish Water Hatchery at Benaulim will be upgraded and redeveloped, and seaweed farming will also be promoted.
