Indian state to invest on educating fisherfolks children

The Kerala government Tuesday extended a helping hand to the children of the fisherfolk by earmarking Rs.6 crore towards meeting their educational needs. "With this, the total allocation that has been made to the children for their educational needs has gone up to Rs.12 crore," said State Fisheries Minister K. Babu in a statement issued here. Kerala has 222 marine fishing villages and the number of fishermen households total 1,20,486, which include 6,02,234 individuals of which 35.50 percent are adult males. "We have also decided to increase the monthly food allowance of all the students studying in the 10 Fisheries Technical residential schools from Rs.1,000 to Rs.1,500 with immediate effect," added Babu. The fishing community has always been seen as the most vulnerable section in the Kerala society.