Fishermen sail in 100 boats to thank Naidu for welfare aid

Vijayawada: Showing their gratitude, fishermen from villages along the Krishna river reached the residence of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in nearly 100 boats on Tuesday to thank the govt for releasing the second-year assistance of Rs 20,000 to each family under the 'Matsyakarula Sevalo' scheme.Fishermen from Venkatapalem, Thummalapalem, Seethanagaram, and Kummarapalem villages travelled in large numbers through Krishna river and gathered near the chief minister’s residence to express their appreciation to the govt for continuing with its welfare support for the fishing community. IT and HRD minister Nara Lokesh greeted the fishermen and invited them inside. Calling them "affectionate friends and sons of the sea", Lokesh recalled the warm reception he received from the community during his Yuvagalam padayatra at Juvvaladinne village.“I witnessed the unity and commitment of fishermen during the Yuvagalam padayatra. The entire village decorated the roads with colourful rangolis and ensured that nobody disturbed them till I arrived. The fishermen stand firmly by their word and society should learn that quality from them,” Lokesh said. He said the NDA govt has been simultaneously focusing on rebuilding the state while implementing welfare programmes despite inheriting financial difficulties. “I realised the hardships faced by fishermen, who continue to educate their children despite economic struggles. We are travelling across the world to bring investments and create better job opportunities for the youth. As part of that effort, a defence company project has already been launched at Juvvaladinne,” he said.He further announced that Sagar defence company would establish an autonomous surveillance patrol boat system to prevent Tamil fishermen from illegally entering Andhra waters. Assuring continued support to the fishing community, Lokesh told them that the doors of his residence would always remain open and they can visit him anytime if they face any difficulty or need to air their grievance.