A total of 19 selected fishermen affected by the Ditwah disaster in Kilinochchi District received boats on a subsidy basis under a programme aimed at restoring their livelihoods and developing the district’s fisheries sector.
The programme was held under the leadership of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar and focused on rebuilding the livelihoods of fishing communities affected by disasters, including those in Thattuvankottai.
The programme also introduced a decentralised system to print and issue fishermen’s identity cards in Kilinochchi, a service previously available only through the department’s head office in Colombo.
Under the first phase of the initiative, 20 fishermen received new identity cards. The new system is expected to save fishermen considerable time and money by eliminating the need to travel to Colombo to obtain the cards.
The event was attended by Minister Chandrasekar, the Assistant Director of the Department of Fisheries in Kilinochchi District, the district coordinator of the Clean Sri Lanka national programme and representatives of fishermen’s associations. (Newswire)
