Six lakh fisherfolk have no bio-metric cards as yet.

Six lakh fisherfolk have no bio-metric cards as yet.

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Jan 05, 2016 :  Pointing out that about six lakh active fisherfolk in the country are yet to be issued bio-metric cards, Ashok Kumar Angurana, Secretary, Union Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, has said that issuing the cards is crucial to pass onto them the benefits of space technology related to fishing.

Delivering the keynote address at the inauguration of a two-day workshop on the “adoption of space technology for fisheries” here on Jan 4, Monday, he said that of an estimated 1.5 crore fishermen in the country, 20 lakh were active. He urged the States to issue the bio-metric cards to about six lakh fishermen before June 2016. The distribution of cards began in 2009.

When fishermen were issued with the cards, their entire data would be with the government. Using them, the government could pass on information relating to weather forecast, potential fishing zones in the area, government schemes relating to them on their cellphones. This would help reduce operational cost of fishing boats and ensure their safety.

Bio-metric cards established the identity of fishermen. It helped during security check in sea and resolving issues relating to crossing fishing zones of States and countries. Creation of a database of 20-lakh fishermen becomes critical to a mission envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a national meet on September 7 last, followed by an inter-ministerial meet held on October 30 to roll out technology-based solutions to fishermen, he said. He said that the States would have to modernise and upgrade technologies in 167 monitoring control surveillance centres for tracking fishing vessels in sea using the RealCraft software developed by National Informatics Centre.