Discontent is brewing among the fishermen in the state as the government is yet to decide whether it will continue to provide them rice under the public distribution system (PDS) during the period in which fishing is banned here. The government had imposed a seven-month ban on fishing along a 170km coastline, including the coastal area in Ganjam district, from November 1 to May 31 to protect the endangered Olive Ridley turtles who come here for mass nesting. Amid pressure from the fishermen community, the government had been providing 25kg rice to them at the rate of Rs 2 per kg for the last three years to make up for the lost livelihood in the ban period. The fishermen are, however, apprehensive about the scheme being discontinued after the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Making matters worse for them, the civil supply officers have not yet received any instruction about continuing the scheme. “We fear the scheme may be discontinued as the government had announced to discontinue all such schemes after the implementation of the NFSA earlier,” said K Alleya, general secretary, Odisha traditional fish workers’ union (OTFWU). Ajit Kumar Patra, the civil supply officer (CSO) of Ganjam district, said there was no fresh instruction from the government to continue the scheme after the implementation of the NFSA. “Unless the fresh instruction comes and allotment of rice is made by the government, we cannot continue to provide the rice under the scheme to the fishermen,” said another senior officer in the district. AK Behera, the divisional forest officer of Berhampur, has also assured to write about their apprehension to the government requesting them to continue the scheme. Lakhs of endangered turtles throng the Ganjam coast for mass nesting every year. The turtles also flock Gahiramatha in Kendrapada district and the Devi river mouth near Astaranga in Puri district for laying eggs.
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