Subsidy delay: Traditional fisherfolk warn of legal action

Panaji: The All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) has expressed displeasure with state govt for failing to release the 2023 fishing subsidy meant for traditional fishermen, particularly from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community.
“If govt continues to ignore us, the community will be left with no choice but to seek legal recourse,” they said.
Despite multiple representations and two rounds of meetings with officials from the department of fisheries, union leaders say no concrete progress was made on disbursing the funds. “We were informed by fisheries officials that Rs 1 crore was already sanctioned by the Centre, yet the file remains pending with state govt. The taxes on fishing canoes, fishing nets, etc., have been increasing, and we need these funds to make ends meet. These are subsidies pending since 2023 for the ST community,” said a member of the AGSSRFU.
The fishermen have offered a compromise, urging govt to release the subsidy amount in instalments if the full amount cannot be sanctioned immediately. They have also sought action against LED fishing.