Arunachal minister pitches for focus on cold-water fisheries at NFDB meet in Hyderabad
Itanagar (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh Fisheries Minister Gabriel Denwang Wangsu on Monday called for a special policy for hill and border states to promote cold-water fisheries, strengthen infrastructure and improve the livelihoods of rural fishermen.
Addressing the 12th governing body meeting of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) in Hyderabad, Wangsu supported a proposal to bring Mission Amrit Sarovar under fisheries activities for fish farming, an official communique stated.
He said convergence of fisheries programmes with the mission would help boost inland fish production and generate additional income opportunities for rural communities.
The minister also placed several key proposals before the NFDB governing body, including special relaxations under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for hill and border states, such as higher unit costs, flexible norms and cluster-based implementation.
He emphasised the need to strengthen seed security through expansion of carp and trout hatcheries, brood banks, local feed production units and development of farming clusters.
Wangsu further stressed conservation and sustainable use of indigenous fish species through hatcheries, river ranching and stock enhancement programmes.
He also highlighted the importance of developing value-chain and post-harvest infrastructure, including mini-feed mills, mobile ice plants, cold storages, insulated transport and value-addition units.
The minister proposed resource mapping and digitisation using geo-spatial technologies and suggested setting up a regional centre of NFDB in Arunachal Pradesh, with full logistical support from the state government.
Earlier, Union Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Rajiv Ranjan Singh, who chaired the meeting, reviewed the progress of fisheries and aquaculture development across the country.
He directed states and Union Territories to ensure optimal and timely utilisation of sanctioned funds and early completion of ongoing projects, especially under PMMSY.
The meeting was attended by ministers of state for animal husbandry and fisheries, fisheries ministers from several states, senior officials from states and Union Territories, and members of the NFDB governing body.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
