Govt to introduce Bill for cess from marine exporters

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 4: Kerala Fisheries Minister S Sharma said the government was taking steps to introduce a legislation to collect cess from exporters of marine products in the state.

A Bill in this regard would be introduced in the next session of the Assembly, he said yesterday, while replying to questions by Ms K K Lathika (CPM) and others.

He said the move would enable the Fisheries Welfare Board to increase its fund mobilisation and to remove the existing legal obstacle in this regard.

Stating that the Board was facing serious financial crisis because of huge arrears from the exporters, as the board could not collect cess from them following a Supreme Court order, the Minister said the amendment would include bringing other allied workers in the Welfare Board.

Mr Sharma said the government would provide interest free loans to women fish vendors in order to rescue them from the clutches of private money lenders.

He said the government was proposing to implement a comprehensive housing project for fishermen and it had already built 1,500 houses for them.

UNI