Central government urges fishermen to retrofit their boats with CNG engines

Kerala Food and Civil Supplies Minister GR Anil informed that the state government approached the union government seeking an increase in Public Distribution System (PDS) kerosene quota. He met Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri over the matter.

According to Anil, the union government maintained that the plan is to reduce and stop the production/ distribution of kerosene in a phased manner. As a result, the demand for increasing the PDS quota for a single state cannot be considered. However, the union government will look favorably to allocate kerosene under the non-PDS category.

The state also demanded 5,000 kiloliters of kerosene for fishing workers as Onam season is around the corner. However, the union government urged the state to discontinue the practice of using kerosene-based boats. It has asked the state to equip fishing boats with Compressed natural gas (CNG)-based engines. The Union minister also noted that various states have already switched to CNG-based engines.