Atchannaidu Accuses Previous Govt of Neglecting Fishermen, Diverting ₹128 Crore Funds

State Fisheries Minister K. Atchannaidu on Friday alleged that the previous government had completely neglected fishermen’s rights and “destroyed the fisheries sector” during its five-year tenure under former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy .

He said the coalition government had been the one to “fill the stomachs of fishermen” and criticised Jagan, stating that he had “no moral right” to speak about the community after allegedly undermining their rights. The Minister further claimed that Jagan had made “blatant false statements” at the Juvvaladinne harbour and asserted that the present government was correcting the “wrongs committed” by the previous regime. He issued a statement to this effect on Friday.

Atchannaidu alleged that the previous government neither utilised the state’s share for harbour development nor properly used the ₹128 crore released by the Centre , claiming that the funds were diverted. This, he said, affected the flow of further central assistance. He added that after coming to power, the coalition government cleared the pending dues and revived the fisheries sector.

Emphasising welfare, the Minister said the government had doubled the fishing ban allowance from ₹10,000 to ₹20,000 , benefiting lakhs of families. He noted that over ₹242 crore had been directly transferred as financial assistance within a year.

He also highlighted the implementation of the diesel subsidy scheme , under which fishermen receive ₹9 per litre , and said social security pensions had been increased from ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 , improving their financial stability.

The Minister said pending compensation claims related to fishermen’s accidental deaths, which were neglected earlier, had been cleared on a war footing . As part of this, ₹3.15 crore was disbursed in 2024–25 and ₹5.65 crore in 2025–26 to affected families.

Atchannaidu stated that the government was prioritising fisheries infrastructure development across the State. Works at harbours in Uppada, Machilipatnam, and Nizampatnam were progressing rapidly based on plans prepared in 2015–16 .

He added that construction of 10 fishing harbours was underway at a total cost of ₹3,328.48 crore . Initiatives such as distribution of transponders , creation of artificial reefs , and supply of deep-sea fishing boats were being implemented to boost the sector.

The Minister also said delays in the construction of fish landing centres under the previous government had been addressed, with works now being expedited.