Fishers need special insurance scheme: CP

The EC’s action in this regard should be a warning to political parties which felt that money power would fetch desired results, he added. The Commission should be ready to postpone or even cancel the elections, if it felt that money was being used to bribe voters, he said.

Commenting on Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit reviewing the state government’s works, he said the Governor was forced to step in when the AIADMK government failed to respond to the needs of the people. Asked if the Kerala Governor would also do the same as the BJP was at loggerheads with the state government there, Radhakrishnan said it all depended on the governor.

“Some preferred to watch developments from the Raj Bhavan, while others were more proactive. Such actions should be welcomed,” he felt.

On the missing fishermen issue, he said this was the first time that naval ships and personnel were pressed into search operations. Stating that the central government would fully cooperate till the last fisherman was found, he called on the state government to create a special insurance scheme to help the community in distress. The centre would provide all help for this, he added. But the issue should not be politicised, he said.

Adding that the state government should prevent fishermen from venturing into the sea when a storm warning was forecast, he said that the state governments of both Tamil Nadu and Kerala state governments should learn valuable lessons from this incident, he added. He also said the state government should take measures to save rainwater as half the irrigation tanks in TN were dry despite the state receiving copious rain. Though the TN government was willing to fight AP putting up a check dam, it did not show the same perseverance in saving rain water, he said.

The Coir Board had sent to the PM a new scheme named CITUS (Coir Industry Technical Upgradation Scheme) to provide 30% subsidy for beneficiaries. When operational it would modernize the entire industry, he added