The State Government has decided to extend public distribution system (PDS) doles to over 5,000 families of traditional marine fishermen living along the Paradip coast. The condition of fishermen living in Rajnagar and Mahakalpada areas has become precarious following the seven-month-long prohibition on sea-fishing to ensure safety of the Olive Ridley turtles. Livelihood problems have triggered exodus from the villages predominantly inhabited by fishermen communities. The Government has resolved to extend social security to fishermen families who are hard-hit by fishing prohibition. Besides the launch of various livelihood support projects, the affected families would now be entitled to all PDS benefits including Rs-two per kg rice. To extend PDS facilities, the exercise to enumerate traditional fishermen families is now underway. So far 5,400 families directly or indirectly hit by turtle conservation measures have been enumerated for PDS benefits, sources said. The sources further said of the affected fishermen families, 3,000 are from Mahakalpada while 2,400 families are from the adjoining coastal areas of Rajnagar. They would now be provided with special PDS cards issued by the Civil Supplies Department. Every year, the State Government clamps a seven-month ban from November 1 to May 31 on sea-fishing in a 20-km radius stretching from Dhamara to the Devi river mouth to ensure the safety of breeding turtles which perish in large number either by getting entangled in mono-filament fishing nets or by getting hit by trawler propellers. Ancilliary sectors like ice-factories and net making units in areas like Dhamra, Jamboo, Kharinasi, Ramnagar, Sandhakuda, Ambiki, Erasama and Paradipgad have closed down. Skilled boat-makers and net weavers from these areas are slowly shifting to Digha and Bishakhapatnam due to bleak business. To compensate the loss of livelihood of thousands of marine fishermen and other stakeholders in the seaside villages, World Bank-funded Integrated Coastal Zone Management Programme (ICZMP) has kick-started in these pockets. A Rs 25.61-crore ICZMP scheme is in full swing with the objective of providing alternative livelihood. The funds are being spent through 60 self help groups.