The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has given 70.44 tonnes of rice as food assistance to a total of 3,522 fishermen families of four upazilas in Gaibandha district for passing the current Hilsa ban period without food crisis, reports BSS.
According to sources, the government imposed a 22-day ban on the netting, selling, marketing, importing, transporting and exchanging Hilsa across the country that came into effect from zero hour of October 09.
The aim of the restriction is to ensure safe spawning, protect the breeding environment and shelter the mother Hilsa from any disturbance from October 09 to 30, sources said.
As the fishermen of Sundarganj, Fulchhari, Shaghata and Sadar upazilas would remain refrained from catching Hilsa fishes in Brahmaputra, Jamuna and Teesta rivers in Gaibandha on Oct 09-30, the ministry allocated rice for the poor fishermen in the district to help pass their days without food crisis.
Of the total, some 900 families were selected from Shaghata, 1,000 from Fulchhari, 800 from Sundarganj and 822 from Sadar upazilas, said an official of the ministry.
An inaugural ceremony on food assistance distribution activity to the fishermen was held on the premises of Kamarjani union parishad of Sadar upazila. The upazila administration and the department of fisheries organized the event.
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Matin was present as the chief guest and addressed the function. District Fisheries Officer Abdud Dayan Dulu and Union Parishad Chairman
Abdus Salam Zakir were present as special guests.
Presided over by UNO Uttam Kumar Roy, the function was also addressed, among others, by journalist Sarker M. Shahiduzzaman, local social worker Saddam Hossain Pabon and fishermen representative Sekendar Ali.
DC Abdul Matin in his speeches said he wrote an official letter to the ministry to allocate rice as food assistance for the registered fishermen in the district to pass their days during the Hilsha ban period.
In response, the ministry allocated a total of 70.44 tonnes of rice for 3,522 fishermen of the upazilas of the district for the first time, the DC stated.
