Palk Bay Scheme

Why in news?

• The Union Government is considering increasing the unit cost of deep-sea fishing vessels under the Palk Bay scheme to make it more attractive to fisherfolk.

About Palk Bay Scheme:

• Palk Bay Scheme is launched in July 2017 under the Blue Revolution programme.
• The Palk Bay Scheme is the official scheme for diversification of trawl fishing boats from Palk Strait into deep sea fishing boats.
• It is aimed at encouraging fishermen to take up deep-sea fishing and put an end to disputes arising between the India and Sri Lanka.
• The project helps fishermen in the Palk Straits, who are not exposed to deep-sea fishing, to venture deep into the Indian Ocean, Arabian sea and other deep-sea areas to look for fish like tuna that are in high demand.

Significance of the scheme:

• The scheme was envisioned as the remedy to the Palk Bay fishing conflict.
• The Centre feels that deep sea fishing is the “only solution” to promote ecologically sustainable fishing and reduce “fishing pressure” around the close proximity of the the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and the incidents of cross-border fishing.

More about the scheme:

• The project aims to replace all trawler boats and introduce over 2,000 deep sea fishing boats in a course of five years.
• The scheme is funded by the Centre – 50 per cent and state government – 20 per cent for a boat costing Rs 80 lakh.
• Of the balance 30 per cent, 10 per cent is contributed by the beneficiary (fisherman), and the remaining 20 per cent is funded by banks.

About Palk Bay:

• Palk Bay is a semi-enclosed shallow water body with a water depth maximum of 13 m.
• It is located between the southeast coast of India and Sri Lanka.
• The width of Palk Bay ranges from 57 to 107 km and the length is around 150 km.
• Palk Bay is considered to be one amongst the major sinks for sediments along with Gulf of Mannar.
• The north-eastern region of Palk Bay is exposed to the Bay of Bengal through the shallow Palk Strait and hence the swells can enter the Palk Bay through this opening.
• To the south of Palk Bay, Adam's Bridge separates Palk Bay from the Gulf of Mannar.

About Palk Strait:

• The Palk Strait is a strait between the Tamil Nadu and the Jaffna District of the Northern Province of the Sri Lanka.
• It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with Palk Bay in the southwest.
• Several rivers flow into it, including the Vaigai River of Tamil Nadu.
• The port of Jaffna, the commercial center for northern Sri Lanka, lies on the strait

PRELIMS QUESTION

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Palk Bay scheme?

1. The scheme aims for diversification of trawl fishing boats from Palk Strait into deep sea fishing boats.

2. The scheme is jointly funded by India and Sri Lanka

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer