Pawan Kalyan Pushes for State Insurance Cover to Shield Fishing Boats
Pawan Kalyan is pushing for an insurance scheme for fishing boats, seeking greater financial security for fishing communities and protection against unexpected losses at sea.
Pawan Kalyan has called for state-backed insurance cover for fishing boats to protect fishermen from financial losses and strengthen their livelihoods.
NEW DELHI – Andhra Pradesh may soon have its own insurance policy for fishing boats. Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan has directed the Fisheries Department to study whether a state-level cover is feasible and to prepare a draft proposal. Kakinada District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad has been asked to submit a ground-level report, including a case study of the boat damage along the Uppada coast during Cyclone Arnab.
The instruction came during a virtual review of relief and restoration work in Kakinada district, held on Friday. Mr. Kalyan told officials to look for lasting solutions for coastal fishing communities rather than rely on temporary measures after every storm. He also asked for quick enumeration of damaged houses, crops, boats, fishing nets and handlooms, so that compensation reports can be submitted without delay. He plans to visit fishing villages after Deepavali to hear residents’ problems first-hand.
Pawan Kalyan: Cyclone Arnab leaves a trail of damage along the coast
Cyclone Arnab made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 28, near Kakinada, before weakening. Early estimates put the overall loss at around ₹4,600 crore, and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said the figure could rise once a detailed assessment is complete. Aquaculture farmers have reported preliminary losses of ₹176.82 crore.
At the review meeting, Collector Harendhira Prasad said more than 10,000 affected people had been housed in relief camps, most of them from coastal areas. Kakinada Superintendent of Police G. Bindhu Madhav said 4,602 fishing boats had been anchored as a precaution. Even so, Mr. Kalyan told a state Cabinet meeting that 40 boats were damaged in Uppada and another 117 along the coast of Konaseema district. He urged the government to compensate fishermen who lost boats, nets and other equipment, and to help Uppada’s handloom weavers, who were also affected.
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The cyclone’s tidal surges and erosion also damaged the Kakinada–Uppada beach road, cutting connectivity to the fishing harbour and nearby coastal villages. Mr. Kalyan has called for a new road to replace the stretch that was washed away. This is not the first time the road has failed. It was reported damaged by high tides during Cyclone Montha a year ago.
Pawan Kalyan: Why boat insurance matters for fishing families
Cover for fishing vessels is thin across India. A study by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute found vessel insurance to be very low in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. It linked this to limited awareness in fishing communities and a lack of trust between fishers and insurers. Earlier research has estimated that only about 3 to 4 per cent of India’s fishing craft hold vessel insurance.
The main national programme, the Group Accident Insurance Scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, covers fishers rather than their boats. It offers ₹5 lakh for accidental death or permanent total disability, and ₹2.5 lakh for permanent partial disability. Some states have gone further on vessels. Tamil Nadu runs a subsidised vessel insurance scheme, and Puducherry reimburses 75 per cent of the premium for mechanised vessels. For a family whose boat is its only source of income, one storm can mean losing the boat, the nets and the engine at once.
Pawan Kalyan: Sea protection wall remains the other pillar of the plan
Mr. Kalyan also pressed officials to speed up the proposed ₹323-crore sea protection wall for the Uppada coastal belt. The state has recently proposed extending the wall from Uppada village to Konapapapeta, and that proposal is under review by the National Disaster Management Authority.
The erosion problem is long-standing. The coast has been eroding at an average of about 1.23 metres a year for three decades, and a geo-tube wall built between 2008 and 2011 has largely failed under repeated cyclones. Earlier this year the state signed an agreement with IIT Madras to design the wall and supervise its construction, and the institute’s team has since carried out field surveys of waves, currents and the seabed.
Kakinada Rural MLA Pantham Nanaji, Rural Development Commissioner Krishna Teja, APEPDCL CMD Pruthvi Teja and other officials joined the meeting from Uppada.
The insurance proposal is still at the feasibility stage, and no premium structure, subsidy level or timeline has been announced. The Collector’s report and the Fisheries Department’s draft will show whether the state can offer coverage that fishing families can actually afford.
Andhra Pradesh Mulls First State-Level Insurance for Fishing Boats After Cyclone Arnab
