UNB, Dhaka :
The government has so far distributed identity (ID) cards to about 9.7 lakh fishermen so that genuine fishermen can avail of the incentives and facilities being provided by it.
“We’ve already registered about 14.2 lakh fishermen across the country and prepared a list of their names. And works are going on to distribute the ID cards among the remaining ones,” assistant director of the Department of Fisheries Kamrul Hasan told UNB.
The government launched the ‘Fishermen Registration and Identity Card Issuing Project in 2012 involving Tk 81.8 crore with a view to identifying fishermen and provide ID cards to them. The Department of Fisheries is currently implementing the countrywide five-year project, which is supposed to be completed by July 2016.
Apart from the registration of fishermen and distribution of ID cards among them, a database of real fishermen is being developed for the management of fisheries sector, and financial support is being given to the families of fishermen killed in natural disasters like cyclones and storm surges, and attacked in pirates, tigers and crocodiles during their fishing.
Kamrul Hasan said the Fishermen Registration and Identity Card Issuing
Project was launched in 2012 with a target of registering about 20 lakh fishermen in the country.
“We’ve already achieved 71 percent of the target…we hope we’ll be able to distribute ID cards among some 16 lakh fishermen under the project as many of them quit their occupation,” he said.
Official data show that the government allocated Tk 61.8 crore up to fiscal 201-15 out of the total project cost Tk 81.8 crore. A total of Tk 57 crore has so far been spent on implementing the project, which is 70 percent of project allocation.
In 28 upazilas of the country’s 16 districts, about Tk 1.2 crore has already been distributed among the families of 247 fishermen killed in natural disasters, and attacked by pirates, tigers and crocodiles as financial assistance to help them cope with their shocks.
An amount of Tk 5.7 lakh has been distributed among families of 19 fishermen who were killed in fiscal 2012-13 while Tk 32 lakh among 64 families in fiscal 2013-14 and Tk 82 lakh among 164 families of fishermen, the official data reveal. “As per recommendations of upazila parisads, a steering committee of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livelihood approves the proposals of providing financial assistance to the families of fishermen who are being killed in different incidents while fishing,” said Kamrul who is involved with the project.
The fisheries sector has been playing an important role in the country’s socioeconomic development while about 1.25 crore of the country’s people directly or indirectly depend on the sector.
According to Fisheries Department data, around 12.8 lakh fishermen directly depend on fishing for their livelihood. Of them, about 7.7 lakh fish in inland water-bodies while about 5.1 lakh are involved in fishing in coastal water-bodies or sea.
As there is no authentic list of real fishermen, the development programmes taken for their welfare are not properly implemented.
The government has so far distributed identity (ID) cards to about 9.7 lakh fishermen so that genuine fishermen can avail of the incentives and facilities being provided by it.
“We’ve already registered about 14.2 lakh fishermen across the country and prepared a list of their names. And works are going on to distribute the ID cards among the remaining ones,” assistant director of the Department of Fisheries Kamrul Hasan told UNB.
The government launched the ‘Fishermen Registration and Identity Card Issuing Project in 2012 involving Tk 81.8 crore with a view to identifying fishermen and provide ID cards to them. The Department of Fisheries is currently implementing the countrywide five-year project, which is supposed to be completed by July 2016.
Apart from the registration of fishermen and distribution of ID cards among them, a database of real fishermen is being developed for the management of fisheries sector, and financial support is being given to the families of fishermen killed in natural disasters like cyclones and storm surges, and attacked in pirates, tigers and crocodiles during their fishing.
Kamrul Hasan said the Fishermen Registration and Identity Card Issuing
Project was launched in 2012 with a target of registering about 20 lakh fishermen in the country.
“We’ve already achieved 71 percent of the target…we hope we’ll be able to distribute ID cards among some 16 lakh fishermen under the project as many of them quit their occupation,” he said.
Official data show that the government allocated Tk 61.8 crore up to fiscal 201-15 out of the total project cost Tk 81.8 crore. A total of Tk 57 crore has so far been spent on implementing the project, which is 70 percent of project allocation.
In 28 upazilas of the country’s 16 districts, about Tk 1.2 crore has already been distributed among the families of 247 fishermen killed in natural disasters, and attacked by pirates, tigers and crocodiles as financial assistance to help them cope with their shocks.
An amount of Tk 5.7 lakh has been distributed among families of 19 fishermen who were killed in fiscal 2012-13 while Tk 32 lakh among 64 families in fiscal 2013-14 and Tk 82 lakh among 164 families of fishermen, the official data reveal. “As per recommendations of upazila parisads, a steering committee of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livelihood approves the proposals of providing financial assistance to the families of fishermen who are being killed in different incidents while fishing,” said Kamrul who is involved with the project.
The fisheries sector has been playing an important role in the country’s socioeconomic development while about 1.25 crore of the country’s people directly or indirectly depend on the sector.
According to Fisheries Department data, around 12.8 lakh fishermen directly depend on fishing for their livelihood. Of them, about 7.7 lakh fish in inland water-bodies while about 5.1 lakh are involved in fishing in coastal water-bodies or sea.
As there is no authentic list of real fishermen, the development programmes taken for their welfare are not properly implemented.
