Kisan Credit Card to 23,000 beneficiary fishermen in Karnataka shortly: Poojari

MANGALURU: Around 23,000 beneficiaries of the state government’s decision to waive loans of up to Rs 50,000 availed by fishermen during financial year 2017-18, 2018-19 will receive

Kisan Credit Card

(KCC) within a week, minister for ports, fisheries and religious endowment

Kota Srinivas Poojari

said. The government has taken steps to transfer the loan amount of Rs 60 crore to nationalised banks from where fishermen availed these loans, he noted.

Inaugurating ‘Kumaradhara’ ferry service started by Mahajana Sabha Bengre at Thotta Bengre on Monday, Poojari said under KCC facility, credit limit for existing card holders is Rs 3 lakh including animal husbandry and fisheries activities. KCC holders for animal husbandry and fisheries have credit limit of Rs 2 lakh to meet working capital. Under this, interest subvention is available for animal husbandry and fisheries farmers at 2% per annum, he said.

The banks will remove the beneficiaries from their list of non-productive asset borrowers once the loan amount to be waived is transferred to them. This will facilitate the banks to then issue then the KCC, Poojari said. The state government has brought farmers and weavers under the ambit of loan waiver scheme and this facility was extended to fishermen at a mega rally that prime minister Narendra Modi addressed recently at Tumakuru, he said.

Referring to the state’s dependency on private dredging agencies to desilt fisheries harbours and minor ports under its control, Poojari said the ports department is mulling the idea to own a dredger and allow its operation and maintenance under private ownership as followed in Kerala. A meeting of fishermen leaders will be convened shortly to decide modalities of this step mooted to ensure safety of fishing boats using the habour and ports, he said.

The proposal for third phase expansion of old Mangaluru harbour at a cost of Rs 22 crore will come up for consideration before the state cabinet shortly, he said. The capital dredging work from estuary mouth to north commercial wharf of old port will be taken up at a cost of Rs 29 crore, he said. A sanctuary for country boats will be constructed at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore at old port, Bunder with financial assistance from NABARD, the minister noted.

Steps will be taken to set up floating jetties at

Malpe

in Udupi and

Hoige Bazaar

in the city at a cost of Rs 6.5 crore each. A practical demonstration of this technology widely used in the West will be held before a decision is taken on this project, Poojari said. The minister later inaugurated a new passenger jetty constructed by public works, ports and inland transport department at nearby Sulthan Batheri at a cost of Rs 35.83 lakh.

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