Republic of Mauritius- A total of 1,934 fishers registered for bad weather allowance

Minister Koonjoo underlined that the Bad Weather Allowance is a form of social aid to assist fishers who have not been able to go fishing due to bad weather conditions. However, he said, they are encouraged to do alternative activities such as mending their nets and repairing their boats when they are not involved in fishing activities. Any revision in the quantum will require extensive consultations with the relevant stakeholders, he added.

The Minister observed that the quantum payable per day per fisher since 2015, is as follows: Rs 275 in 2015; Rs 282 in 2016; Rs 288 in 2017; Rs 298 in 2018; and, Rs 310 as from January 2019.

In addition, he indicated that the number of days and amount paid since 2015 to 2018 are:

·         Year 2015: 134 days amounting to around Rs 69 million

·         Year 2016: 156 days amounting to around Rs 77 million

·         Year 2017: 94 days  amounting to around Rs 46 million

·         Year 2018: 134 days amounting to around Rs 68 million

The total amount paid for the last four years amounts to around Rs 260 million.