Srikakulam: Strongly condemning the false propaganda of TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu and BJP State President Somu Veerraju on G.O 217 related to auction of fish tanks, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Seediri Appalraju said the state government issued it to improve the living standards of fishermen.

Speaking to media at the party office here on Monday, the Minister said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has taken the decision to auction fish tanks to free fishermen from investors and middlemen and ensure an income of Rs 15,000 to everyone in fishermen society. He said TDP and BJP are in a secret alliance and writing letters against the G.O only for their political interests but not for the betterment of fishermen.

He said Somu Veerraju has been misleading fishermen through his letter that all the fish tanks will be auctioned and clarified that only 27 fish tanks in Nellore district as a pilot project and 30 percent of revenue earned through the auction will be credited to the concerned fishermen society to provide a regular income of Rs 15,000 to each fisherman.

He said there are 27,363 tanks and ponds across the state of which 582 ponds are of an area above one hundred hectares and added that 337 out of 582 ponds are given on lease to 253 fishermen cooperative societies and 23,920 ponds and tanks are under village panchayats which means 26,781 tanks doesn't come under this G.O.

He said the state government has been providing financial aid of Rs 10,000 under Matyakara Bharosa benefitting 1.19 lakh fishermen and questioned what did Naidu do to them in his tenure. He said the state government is providing Rs 9 subsidy on diesel and Rs 10lakh compensation for any accidental death of fishermen and added that the state government has been constructing four fishing harbours in the state and questioned if Naidu had built at least a single jetty.