The State budget presented by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday has offered certain fillip to the fisheries sector in coastal districts even as it has recognised the potential of Sasihithlu beach near Mulki to be developed as a tourism hub. Realising a sharp decline in paddy cultivation in coastal and Malnad regions, the Chief Minister has offered Karavali Package to provide Rs. 7,500 cash assistance per hectare to farmers growing paddy in these regions. He has set apart Rs. 5 crore for this. To ensure the safety of fishermen, the government has proposed to provide 50 % subsidy for installing ISRO-authorised Distress Alert Transmitters (DAT) on fishing boats. Mr. Kumaraswamy has proposed to offer 77.5 % subsidy per unit/ hectare of prawn farms (Rs. 1 lakh cost) to encourage inland and backwater prawn and fish farming. He has set a target of helping 400 units. One more fishing jetty and waste management unit would come up at Malpe in Udupi district at a cost of Rs. 15 crore, Mr. Kumaraswamy said. He has announced completion of work on 2,500 houses under the Matsyashraya Scheme. He has set apart Rs. 148.5 crore to continue diesel and kerosene subsidy for fishing boats. Focussing on health issues in the region, the Chief Minister has proposed to establish continuous Ambient Noise Quality Monitoring Stations, four each in 10 city corporation areas, including Mangaluru, at a cost of Rs. 9 crore. To facilitate speedy detection of breast cancer, Mr. Kumaraswamy has offered to commence Mammogram and Papsmear Scanning facilities in all districts, initially with 10, including Mangaluru. He has also proposed to build a girls sports hostel in Mangaluru. Besides allocating Rs. 30 crore for Karavali Development Authority, Mr. Kumaraswamy has provided Rs. 125 crore for Mangaluru City Development under Mahatma Gandhi City Development Programme. He also announced a feasibility-cum-pros and cons study on providing Metro Rail for Mangaluru. Sasihithlu Beach, which has been hosting surfing events for a couple of years now, would get added facilities with a budgetary allocation of Rs. 7 crore.