Fish workers plan protest to demand land rights, reservation

Fish workers belonging to the All India Fish Workers Federation plan to stage a protest near Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday, demanding land rights and reservation for their community. They aim to address livelihood concerns with the Union government and provide them with health and accident insurance coverage. At the protest, they will present a memorandum with a list of demands, including control over multinational fishing companies and the withdrawal of the "blue economy policy" that they claim subjugates the sea and coast to foreign entities.

The union leaders, R. Prasad and Lok Sabha MP V. Selvaraj, have stated that the government should grant land and houses to all fishing families, offer reservation and grants for higher education to the children of fish workers, and provide job opportunities in the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. They also allege that fish workers are being tortured by foreign countries under the pretext of maritime boundary violations and demand that the central government take action to prevent such incidents.

The workers emphasize that they play a crucial role in employment generation, foreign exchange earnings, and food security, but are living in miserable conditions due to a lack of proper housing, land titles, social security, and income stability. The federation attributes their hardships to unscientific economic policies of the Union government, which have led to acute crises such as loss of livelihood and eviction from traditional habitats due to sand mining and climate change.