The government expects many fishermen to take the bait of Rs 410 crore in expected revenues following its move to stock 4,000-odd water bodies in the state with fish seed over the last few months. Anyone seeking a share of the catch, however, will need to prove they have what it takes to net a bountiful harvest this year. Wannabe fishermen will be required to take ‘skill tests’ that will determine whether they are truly up for the job. The tests are not expected to be easy and are definitely not for those who get queasy , especially when manoeuvring a coracle, the preferred type of boat for most fishermen in the state. Candidates will also have to prove that they can not only cast a net in a near perfect circle but also show that they have the skill to prevent fish from escaping as they drag the nets onto the shore. A final, mandatory segment will test their ability to mend nets, always a requirement for any fisherman worth his salt. The government, expecting a surge in candidates or groups of people seeking to form fishermen cooperatives this year, issued an order announcing details of a three-man committee and an observer to conduct the skill tests. As far as the tests themselves are concerned, the committee will go by a 2011 government order on that matter. Telangana Rashtra Gangaputra Sangam working president, Kariamkonda Yadagir, welcomed the government’s decision to hold the skill tests. “When fishermen societies were being formed initially , it was the Sangam that suggested that those who wanted to become members undergo some tests to show they are really fishermen. It is a good idea that the government wants to hold the tests again,” he said. The Telangana government, which says its fisheries sector has the potential to become a `5,000 crore industry, began taking steps towards this direction by filling 3,939 tanks and water bodies with fish seed worth Rs 25 crore. This was followed up with a discussion in the legislative assembly and council a few days ago, with chief minister K Chandrsekhar Rao declaring that the aim of the go vernment was to turn nearly every one of the 46,500 minor irrigation tanks and the large reservoirs into a fisherman’s paradise in the next few years. As per government estimates, nearly 3.3 lakh families belonging to Mudiraj and Gangaputra communities in the state depend on fisheries for their livelihood.
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