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Source-This post on India-Sri Lanka Fishing Dispute has been created based on the article “Net damage” published in “The Hindu” on 28 June 2024.
UPSC Syllabus-GS Paper-2-International Relations- India and its Neighborhood- Relations.
Context– The article reports a clash between Indian fishermen and the Sri Lankan Navy on June 25th near Kankesanthurai. Sri Lankan Navy intercepted Indian poaching trawlers in their waters, leading to the capture of 10 fishermen (eight from Tamil Nadu and two from Andhra Pradesh) and the seizure of their trawler
This incident highlights the illegal crossing of international maritime boundaries by Indian fishermen. The fisheries dispute between India and Sri Lanka has intensified since the signing of the 1974 and 1976 bilateral agreements aimed at defining their maritime boundaries.
What are the reasons behind this confrontation?
1) The Joint Working Group meeting between India and Srilanka has not been convened for the past two years due to various reasons or circumstances.
2) The deep-sea fishing project, managed jointly by the Union and Tamil Nadu governments, has been a failure. Over almost seven years, only 61 deep sea fishing vessels have been distributed to beneficiaries. As a result, fishermen are forced to cross maritime boundary.
Read more– India Sri Lanka relations
What should be the way forward?
1) Bottom trawlers should be gradually replaced.
2) There is a need for diversification into deep sea fishing, marine cage farming, seaweed cultivation and sea rranching.
3) The Union government could integrate the project into a nationwide program with a higher unit cost of ₹40 lakh for deep sea fishing vessels.
4) New Delhi and Colombo should develop additional schemes to assist fishermen in the Northern Province.
5) It is essential for India and Sri Lanka, together with representatives from the fishing communities and officials from Tamil Nadu and the Northern Province, to meet as early as possible and resolve the ongoing dispute.
Question for practice
What are the causes of the conflict between Indian fishermen and the Sri Lankan Navy? What steps should be taken next to find a resolution?
