The budget has offered a mixed bag for the fisherfolk. While the announcement extending Kisan Credit Cards has thrilled the fishing community, they say the allocation for the sector is far from satisfactory. The credit card would come in handy for them since they depend heavily on loan sharks for their fishing expenditure. It will also help them get into the credit delivery mechanism like their counterparts in the farming sector. Fishermen require cash ranging between a few thousands of rupees for those going fishing daily on traditional country boats and lakhs of rupees for deep sea fishermen going on month-long expeditions. They use the money to procure fuel, provisions and fishing gear for their expeditions. Fishing is considered a high risk sector as fishermen in general don’t get loans from banks with the result that they tend to borrow from local loan sharks for fishing expenses. Based on the catch, they repay the debt but are bogged down by their debt burdens most of the time, since the catch is unpredictable. “Extending a Kisan Credit Card-like setup will help fishermen a great deal because they struggle with debts taken from loan sharks. It will be more beneficial to small and marginal fishermen in particular who will be brought into the credit delivery mechanism. It will also be helpful in depositing the subsidy components directly to their cards”, said an official of the state fisheries department in Chennai. Seconding the opinion, activist U Arulanandam of Pamban in Ramanathapuram district said that fishermen were trapped in debts taken from loan sharks. “It is early to comment on the credit card mechanism but we will be thankful to the central government if they find some method to get the community out of the net debts”, he commented. The fact that the central government had set aside Rs 10,000 crore corpus funds for animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries has also aroused the curiosity of the community. With about 1,076 kms of coastline, Tamil Nadu constitutes 15 % of the total coast length in the country, coming next only to Gujarat. Frustrated with the ongoing fishermen row with neighbouring Sri Lanka, efforts are under way to move the state’s fishermen into deep sea fishing. There is also a longpending demand among fishers for an exclusive ministry for fisheries. Creating a huge corpus fund for the sector has raised hopes among the community that it is a first step towards a fisheries ministry. “At the end of the day, fishing still remains riskier. The central government measures should be aligned towards ensuring safety of lives and crafts of the fishing community”, Arulanadam added. However, Nanjil P Ravi, spokesman of National Union of Fishermen Association, said that the fish exported from the ten coastal states fetched Rs 60,000 crore in revenue for the Centre. “But in this budget only Rs 10,000 crore has been allotted for the fisherfolk. No mention was made of the fishermen affected by Ockhi and nothing was said about the plans to protect fishermen from floods,” he added. “Fishermen have to buy their own diesel, boats and nets, and no subsidies are given. We are charged road tax when we use no roads in the sea. It is a spine-breaking budget and the fishermen are not happy with it,” said Ravi.