“Fisherfolk community should be included in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list as per the Mandal Commission recommendation,” said fishermen who spoke at a conference organised by the Tamil Fishermen Federation (Tamil Meenavar Kootamaipu) in Madurai on Saturday.
Speaking at the conference, Antonio Gomas, president, All India Fishermen Association, said that fishing community were the least developed community in the country since India attained its independence.
“Due to the under representation of our community in the political sphere, our voice is not being heard,” he added. This has, in turn, affected our representation in the decision-making bodies, he said.
Further, they spoke about how their children were not able to reach any top positions in the government sector due to unavailability of resources to excel in their education.
Adding to this, Rajini, president of the federation, said, “Fish which plays a significant role in the Indian economy and a food with the highest nutrient value should be recognised as the national food.”
With this recognition, the fishermen would be benefitted in many ways, she added. Providing separate reservations for the members of the fishing community in education and other jobs only would help them uplift their life, said Ms. Rajini.
