01.02.2010

Photos: Janardan Kodavoor

Udupi: Unity among women yield tremendous benefits – Shobha Karandlaje

Udupi Feb 1 (DHNS) : The Udupi Taluk Mahila Haseemeenu Maratagarara Sangha was inaugurated here on Monday. The function was followed by a huge fisher women convention.
Speaking after inaugurating the Sangha, former minister Shobha Karandlaje opined that fisherwomen should take part in active politics involving them in the local governance. Women today play a significant role in religious, political and social arena. She surpasses men in all spheres.
Each and every woman in the society should be self-reliant, deciding her financial status, she added. Fisherwomen are deprived of many basic facilities. Attempts will be made to compensate with minimum basic facilities that are needed for the fisherwomen to have comfortable business. These women should make use of the beneficiary programmes announced by the government. Unity among women folks yield tremendous benefits, she said.

Karandlaje informed that the loan waiver scheme introduced by the government has enabled the fishermen community people to heave a sigh of relief. More than 1,250 beneficiaries have been identified under Matsyahraya Yojane. Government will be urged to increase the amount of diesel from 75,000 litres to 1 lakh litres in the current fiscal budget that is being presented during March end. She urged the government to withdraw its plans to set up cold storage units in the coastal belt, which would massively affect the business of these fisherwomen.
Speaking on the occasion, Home Minister Dr V S Acharya said that the economy of the coastal belt is entirely dependent on the fishing trade. Measures will be taken to sort out the problems encountered by the fishermen community. Health insurance schemes with low premiums will be introduced.
Loans up to Rs 10,000 at 4 per cent interest rates will be offered to the fishermen. Supplementary shortage of diesel will be filled. Besides, measures will be taken to give diesel up to 90,000 at subsidised rates. All round development programmes aiming at more comforts to fishermen will be introduced, he promised.
Karkala MLA Gopal Bhandary, Udupi MLA Raghupathy Bhat, Kaup MLA Lalaji R Mendon, Kundapur MLA Haladi Srinivas Shetty, MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary, MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik, ZP President Gladys Almeida, Industrialist Pramodh Madhwaraj were present.(from ShobhaKarandlaje.com)